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 .
Predicting accidental falls in people with multiple sclerosis — a longitudinal study
Objective : To investigate accidental falls and near fall incidents in people with multiple sclerosis with respect to clinical variables and the predictive values of four tests . Design : A longitudinal , multi-centred cohort study with prospect ively collected falls . Procedures : Self-reported incidents during the three months following a st and ardized test procedure . Subjects : Seventy-six people with multiple sclerosis and an Exp and ed Disability Status Scale score between 3.5 and 6.0 . Main outcome measures : Berg Balance Scale , Timed Up and Go cognitive , Four Square Step Test ( FSST ) and 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale . Results : Forty-eight people ( 63 % ) registered 270 falls . Most falls occurred indoors during activities of daily life . We found a correlation of rs=0.57 between near falls and falls , and of rs = 0.82 between registered and retrospectively recalled falls . Fallers and non-fallers differed significantly regarding Exp and ed Disability Status Score ( odds ratio ( OR ) 1.99 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 1.22 ; 3.40 ) , spasticity ( OR 1.14 , CI 1.02 ; 1.31 ) , proprioception ( OR 2.50 , CI 1.36 ; 5.12 ) and use of walking aids ( OR 2.27 , CI 1.23 ; 4.37 ) . Reported use of walking aids both indoors and outdoors increased the odds of falling fivefold while disturbed proprioception increased the odds 2.5—15.6 times depending on severity . The odds of falling were doubled for each degree of increased Exp and ed Disability Status Score and more than doubled for each degree of increased spasticity . The Berg Balance Scale , use of walking aids and Timed Up and Go cognitive best identified fallers ( 73—94 % ) and proprioception , Exp and ed Disability Status Score , 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale and Four Square Step Test best identified non-fallers ( 75—93 % ) . Conclusions : In clinical practice , looking at the use of walking aids , investigating proprioception and spasticity , rating Exp and ed Disability Status Score and using Berg Balance Scale or Timed Up and Go cognitive all contribute when identifying fallers
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 .