Abstract
Postural stability provides important data on sporting and health outcomes. A new, affordable, portable balance
mat (BM) must be properly evaluated against the force plate (gold standard) for postural stability assessment. We
aimed to assess the reliability and comparability of a new BM for assessing postural sway compared with a force
plate. Seventeen participants (age range: 18–67 years; 8 males, 9 females) performed nine balance tests, with
two trials performed for each test. Balance mat and centre of pressure (COP) data from a force platform were
collected simultaneously during the tests. Correlation analyses were performed to test the strength of the relationships
between the BM and COP data and the reliability of the balance mat. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficients between
the BM and COP data ranged from 0.63 to 0.79. The intraclass correlation coefficients of the BM data between the two trials
ranged from 0.78 to 0.84. The 95 % ratio limits of agreement of the BM data ranged from 4.28 to 13.23 times the difference
between the two trials. The results suggest that the balance mat has good relative reliability for assessing postural sway but
poor absolute reliability, and the measurements are comparable to the postural sway data from a force plate. Clinicians can
use the BM to screen people at risk of poor health and sporting outcomes inexpensively and easily and refer them for further evaluation.
mat (BM) must be properly evaluated against the force plate (gold standard) for postural stability assessment. We
aimed to assess the reliability and comparability of a new BM for assessing postural sway compared with a force
plate. Seventeen participants (age range: 18–67 years; 8 males, 9 females) performed nine balance tests, with
two trials performed for each test. Balance mat and centre of pressure (COP) data from a force platform were
collected simultaneously during the tests. Correlation analyses were performed to test the strength of the relationships
between the BM and COP data and the reliability of the balance mat. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficients between
the BM and COP data ranged from 0.63 to 0.79. The intraclass correlation coefficients of the BM data between the two trials
ranged from 0.78 to 0.84. The 95 % ratio limits of agreement of the BM data ranged from 4.28 to 13.23 times the difference
between the two trials. The results suggest that the balance mat has good relative reliability for assessing postural sway but
poor absolute reliability, and the measurements are comparable to the postural sway data from a force plate. Clinicians can
use the BM to screen people at risk of poor health and sporting outcomes inexpensively and easily and refer them for further evaluation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 79-85 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Intelligent Sports and Health |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2025 |