The relationship between falls history and computerized dynamic posturography in persons with balance and vestibular disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the relationship between Sensory Organization Test (SOT) scores and reported falls in persons with vestibular and balance disorders.


METHODS
Descriptive cross-sectional.


METHODS
Outpatient tertiary balance and falls clinic.


METHODS
One hundred physical therapy (PT) charts of people referred to a balance and falls clinic were reviewed. Criteria for inclusion were that the patients had completed the SOT of computerized dynamic posturography (CDP), had a vestibular diagnosis, and had the numbers of falls recorded from patient report within the last 6 months at the initial examination. Rotational chair, caloric testing, oculomotor test, and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) results were recorded, if available.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
The SOT composite and ABC scores as they related to reports of falls in the last 6 months.


RESULTS
The overall proportion of persons with vestibular disorders with positive 6-month history for 1 or more falls was 30% and for recurrent falls (>/=2) was 17%. Vestibular laboratory findings, age, sex, and vestibular diagnosis were not related to reported falls status. Patients who reported multiple falls prior to the PT examination had lower SOT composite scores than patients who reported 1 or no falls in the previous 6 months. The receiver operating characteristic curve identified a composite SOT score of less than 38 as demonstrating the highest likelihood ratio for differentiating between those people who reported no falls in the past 6 months and those who reported 2 or more falls.


CONCLUSIONS
Persons who are recurrent fallers perform worse on SOT than either nonfallers or 1-time fallers. CDP performance can help guide the clinician in the development of a safe exercise program.
Whitney
Susan L
SL
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. whitney@pitt.edu
Marchetti
Gregory F
GF
Schade
Annika I
AI
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests