Assesment of correlation of functional reach test modifications with posturographic parameters in healthy individuals

ABSTRACT Karabulut, M. Assessment Of Correlation of Functional Reach Test Modifications With Posturographic Parameters In Healthy Individuals, Hacettepe University Graduate School Health Sciences Department of Audiology Master Thesis, Ankara, 2019. Computerized Static Posturography (CSP), which enables effective evaluation of postural control, is not yet widely used in clinics, but the subjective Functional Reach Test (FRT), which is easy to use, inexpensive, fast and without consumables, is a simple way of evaluating standing balance. There are multiple modifications in literature as well as standard FRT. Due to differences in FRT test results, the number of studies on which test method should be preferred is limited. In this study, the correlation of FRT and modified FRT tests with Computerized Static Posturography (CSP) with Limits of Stability (LOS) and Rhyhtmic Weight Shift (RWS) test results were investigated. 30 healthy subjects between the ages of 18-40 were examined by using standard method FRT and modified FRTs and the distance between Endpoint Excursion (EPE) and Maximum Excursion (MXE) was examined with LOS. At the same time, FRT reaching time manually was evaluated with stopwatch and correlations between movement velocity in LOS and on axis velocity in right-left and forward-backward plane in RWS were investigated. There was a moderate positive correlation between EPE and MXE in the LOS with the distance between all FRT methods (p<0.05). A negative correlation was found between the soft ground dominant arm FRT reaching time and the LOS movement velocity (p <0.05), but no correlation was found between the other FRT methods and the LOS movement velocity (p> 0.05). However, FRT was evaluated with one arm and two arms on firm and soft ground in order to show which FRT strategy was more reliable. In this study, the correlation between one arm and two arms FRT test on both firm and soft ground was compared with EPE and MXE in LOS. A higher level of correlation was obtained with two arms FRT (p<0.05). In the RWS, a moderate correlation was found between the standart FRT reaching time and slow movement velocity in the anteroposterior plane, while a moderate correlation was obtained between the firm floor lateral FRT and rapid movement velocity in the right-left plane (p <0.05). According to our findings, the best correlation was obtained with LOS in CSP; FRT, with two arms on the firm ground was obtained in postural control measurements aiming the distance of reach; the dominant arm on soft ground FRT could be used safely in the postural control measurements where the completion time of the test is important. Key words: Functional Reach Test, Computerized Static Posturography, Limits of Stability, Rhythmic Weight Shift, Postural Control