This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Fujisawa, H. Articles by Takeda, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fujisawa, H. Articles by Takeda, R. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

A new clinical test of dynamic standing balance in the frontal plane: the side-step test

Ryoko Takeda

Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Sendai, Japan

Objective: To confirm retest reliability for the side-step test and to investigate the validity of the side-step test by correlating performance on this test with that on other commonly used measures of balance and mobility.

Setting: Katta Public Hospital, Miyagi, Japan.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Intraclass correlation coefficient was examined by calculating the intra-rater reliability of the side-step test. Moreover, the validity of the test was examined by correlating maximum side-step length with gait parameters.

Subjects: This study recruited 28 hemiplegic subjects (17 with left-sided hemiplegia and 11 with right-sided hemiplegia).

Measures: We measured balance ability and walking ability as follows: dynamic balance ability was assessed from maximum side-step length from the side-step test, static balance ability from one-footed standing duration, and walking ability from maximum walking speed, stride length and cadence. Balance ability was measured on both the affected and unaffected side. Maximum side-step length was standardized in terms of lower extremity length.

Results: Intraclass correlation coefficient of maximum side-step length was 0.97 bilaterally. There was a high linear correlation between maximum side-step length and both maximum walking speed and stride length; Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient ranged from 0.84 to 0.89. One-footed standing duration was significantly correlated with maximum side-step length, maximum walking speed and stride length, and these relationships were non-linear.

Conclusion: The reliability and validity of the side-step test was confirmed.

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 20, No. 4, 340-346 (2006)
DOI: 10.1191/0269215506cr949oa


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?