The portable Sway mobile application is a valid tool to measure balance when compared with a gold standard and is sensitive to change following foot mobilisation

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q3 NEUROSCIENCES

Gait & posture Pub Date : 2025-05-27 DOI:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.04.024

Claire Tucak , Nanako Tateishi , Leanne Cormack , Robyn Fary

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Maintaining balance is important throughout the lifespan and being able to measure balance accurately in a clinical setting is essential. However, balance measures used in clinical settings have limited accuracy and sensitivity to change and gold standards for balance measurement are not easily available outside the laboratory.

Research question

Is the Sway mobile application a valid tool that is sensitive to change for use in a clinical setting when measured against the gold standard SMART EquiTest System?

Methods

The balance of 50 healthy adults aged 18–40 years was measured via unilateral stance test (UST) a) using the SMART EquiTest System and b) using the Sway App, before and after 6 minutes of Bobath foot mobilisation on each foot.

Results

Statistically significant correlations were noted between SMART EquiTest System and the Sway App in three out of four eyes-closed tests (Spearman’s rho range −0.55 to −0.75, p < 0.001), with statistically significant improvements in balance noted after foot mobilisation, when tested with eyes closed via UST a) using SMART EquiTest System (right: p = 0.007, left: p < 0.001), and b) using Sway App (right: p = 0.005, left: p < 0.001). Effect sizes ranged from small to medium (0.27–0.44).

Conclusion

Sway App results mirrored those of the SMART EquiTest system both before and after a foot mobilisation intervention demonstrating Sway App validity and sensitivity to change in the healthy population. Given demonstrated sensitivity to change, further work may now be done to determine if Sway App results can be extended to the clinical setting.

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便携式Sway移动应用程序是测量平衡的有效工具，与黄金标准相比，对脚移动后的变化很敏感

在整个生命周期中保持平衡是很重要的，能够在临床环境中准确测量平衡是必不可少的。然而，在临床环境中使用的平衡测量具有有限的准确性和对变化的敏感性，并且在实验室之外很难获得平衡测量的金标准。研究问题：Sway移动应用程序是一个有效的工具，对临床环境中使用的变化敏感，当与黄金标准SMART EquiTest系统进行测量时？方法50例18-40岁的健康成人，在每只脚进行6 分钟的Bobath足活动前后，分别采用SMART EquiTest系统和Sway App进行单侧站立测试（UST），测量平衡性。ResultsStatistically重要的智能EquiTest系统之间的相关性被发现和应用在四分之三的闭上眼睛测试的影响(斯皮尔曼的ρ范围−0.55−0.75,p & lt; 0.001),有统计学意义的改善平衡指出脚动员后,测试时闭上眼睛通过科大)使用智能EquiTest系统(正确的:p = 0.007,左:p & lt; 0.001),并使用影响应用程序b)(正确的:p = 0.005,左:p & lt; 0.001)。效应量从小到中等（0.27-0.44）。Sway App的结果反映了SMART EquiTest系统在足部活动干预前后的结果，证明了Sway App对健康人群变化的有效性和敏感性。鉴于对变化的敏感性，现在可以做进一步的工作来确定Sway应用程序的结果是否可以扩展到临床环境。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Gait & posture 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

616

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Gait & Posture is a vehicle for the publication of up-to-date basic and clinical research on all aspects of locomotion and balance. The topics covered include: Techniques for the measurement of gait and posture, and the standardization of results presentation; Studies of normal and pathological gait; Treatment of gait and postural abnormalities; Biomechanical and theoretical approaches to gait and posture; Mathematical models of joint and muscle mechanics; Neurological and musculoskeletal function in gait and posture; The evolution of upright posture and bipedal locomotion; Adaptations of carrying loads, walking on uneven surfaces, climbing stairs etc; spinal biomechanics only if they are directly related to gait and/or posture and are of general interest to our readers; The effect of aging and development on gait and posture; Psychological and cultural aspects of gait; Patient education.