Meta- analysis demonstrated fallers perform significantly worse than non-fallers on all measures analysed except the Timed Up and Go Cognitive ( p < 0.05 ) , but discriminative ability of the measures is commonly not reported .
Of those reported , the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value ( 0.92 ) , but without reporting corresponding measures of clinical utility .
Conclusion : Clinical measures of balance differ significantly between fallers and non-fallers but have poor predictive ability for falls risk in people with multiple sclerosis
Objective : To determine the ability of clinical measures of balance to distinguish fallers from non-fallers and to determine their predictive validity in identifying those at risk of falls .
Falls in people with multiple sclerosis who use a walking aid: prevalence, factors, and effect of strength and balance interventions.
OBJECTIVES To investigate falls prevalence , factors associated with falling , and the effects of balance and strengthening interventions on falls in persons with multiple sclerosis ( MS ) . DESIGN Baseline and posttreatment data from a r and omized controlled trial . SETTING Community . PARTICIPANTS People with MS ( N=111 ) who use bilateral support for gait .  INTERVENTIONS Group and one-on-one physiotherapy . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Falls prevalence was assessed using retrospective recall . Demographic information was collected , impairments of body function were assessed , and results from the Berg Balance Scale , 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) , Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 version 2 physical and psychological scores , and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale ( MFIS ) were obtained . RESULTS The prevalence of falls in a 3-month period was 50.5 % among participants with MS , of whom 28 % had more than 1 fall . Fallers had a greater physical ( mean difference , -3.9 ; P=.048 ) and psychological ( median difference , -4.5 ; P=.001 ) impact of MS and a greater impact of fatigue ( mean difference , -9.4 ; P=.002 ) . A logistic regression analysis found that the MFIS score made a unique , significant contribution to the model ( odds ratio=1.04 ; 95 % confidence interval , 1.018 - 1.079 ) , correctly identifying 68 % of fallers . A 10-week group physiotherapy intervention significantly reduced both the number of fallers ( 58.3 % before to 22.9 % after intervention , P=.005 ) and the number of falls ( 63 before to 25 after intervention , P=.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of falls is high in this population of persons with MS , and the impact of MS and of fatigue is greater in fallers . Development and evaluation of interventions to reduce falls risk and the transition to faller or multiple faller status are required
Meta- analysis demonstrated fallers perform significantly worse than non-fallers on all measures analysed except the Timed Up and Go Cognitive ( p < 0.05 ) , but discriminative ability of the measures is commonly not reported .
Of those reported , the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value ( 0.92 ) , but without reporting corresponding measures of clinical utility .
Conclusion : Clinical measures of balance differ significantly between fallers and non-fallers but have poor predictive ability for falls risk in people with multiple sclerosis
Objective : To determine the ability of clinical measures of balance to distinguish fallers from non-fallers and to determine their predictive validity in identifying those at risk of falls .