title: An alternative to the balance error scoring system: using a low-cost balance board to improve the validity/reliability of sports-related concussion balance testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent guidelines advocate sports medicine professionals to use balance tests to assess sensorimotor status in the management of concussions. The present study sought to determine whether a low-cost balance board could provide a valid, reliable, and objective means of performing this balance testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Criterion validity testing relative to a gold standard and 7 day test-retest reliability.
  
  
  METHODS
  University biomechanics laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty healthy young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Balance ability was assessed on 2 days separated by 1 week using (1) a gold standard measure (ie, scientific grade force plate), (2) a low-cost Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB), and (3) the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Validity of the WBB center of pressure path length and BESS scores were determined relative to the force plate data. Test-retest reliability was established based on intraclass correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Composite scores for the WBB had excellent validity (r = 0.99) and test-retest reliability (R = 0.88). Both the validity (r = 0.10-0.52) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.61-0.78) were lower for the BESS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that a low-cost balance board can provide improved balance testing accuracy/reliability compared with the BESS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This approach provides a potentially more valid/reliable, yet affordable, means of assessing sports-related concussion compared with current methods.
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Human Services, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Jasper O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Seth W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Seay
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Goble
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018910:Video Games / Q000191:economics; D055815:Young Adult