Recovery of Quiet Standing Balance and Lower Limb Motor Impairment Early Poststroke: How Are They Related?

Standardized measurement of balance and mobility post-stroke: Consensus-based core recommendations from the third Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable

BACKGROUND

Mobility is a key priority for stroke survivors. Worldwide consensus of standardized outcome instruments for measuring mobility recovery after stroke is an essential milestone to optimize the quality of stroke rehabilitation and recovery studies and to enable data synthesis across trials.

METHODS

Using a standardized methodology, which involved convening of 13 worldwide experts in the field of mobility rehabilitation, consensus was established through an a priori defined survey-based approach followed by group discussions. The group agreed on balance- and mobility-related definitions and recommended a core set of outcome measure instruments for lower extremity motor function, balance and mobility, biomechanical metrics, and technologies for measuring quality of movement.

RESULTS

Selected measures included the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment lower extremity subscale for motor function, the Trunk Impairment Scale for sitting balance, and the Mini Balance Evaluation System Test (Mini-BESTest) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for standing balance. The group recommended the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC, 0-5) for walking independence, the 10-meter Walk Test (10 mWT) for walking speed, the 6-Minute Walk Test (6 MWT) for walking endurance, and the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) for complex walking. An FAC score of less than three should be used to determine the need for an additional standing test (FAC < 3, add BBS to Mini-BESTest) or the feasibility to assess walking (FAC < 3, 10 mWT, 6 MWT, and DGI are "not testable"). In addition, recommendations are given for prioritized kinetic and kinematic metrics to be investigated that measure recovery of movement quality of standing balance and walking, as well as for assessment protocols and preferred equipment to be used.

CONCLUSIONS

The present recommendations of measures, metrics, technology, and protocols build on previous consensus meetings of the International Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Alliance to guide the research community to improve the validity and comparability between stroke recovery and rehabilitation studies as a prerequisite for building high-quality, standardized "big data" sets. Ultimately, these recommendations could lead to high-quality, participant-specific data sets to aid the progress toward precision medicine in stroke rehabilitation.

Does visuospatial neglect contribute to standing balance within the first 12 weeks post-stroke? A prospective longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND

Visuospatial neglect (VSN) has been suggested to limit standing balance improvement post-stroke. However, studies investigating this association longitudinally by means of repeated within-subject measurements early post-stroke are lacking. This prospective longitudinal cohort study evaluates the longitudinal association of egocentric and allocentric VSN severity with 1) standing balance independence and 2) postural control and weight-bearing asymmetry (WBA) during quiet standing, in the first 12 weeks post-stroke.

METHODS

Thirty-six hemiplegic individuals after a first-ever unilateral stroke were evaluated at weeks 3, 5, 8 and 12 post-stroke. Egocentric and allocentric VSN severity were evaluated using the Broken Hearts Test. The standing unperturbed item of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS-s) was used to clinically evaluate standing independence. Posturographic measures included measures of postural control (mediolateral (ML)/anteroposterior (AP) net center-of-pressure velocities (COPvel)) and WBA during quiet standing. A linear mixed model was used to examine longitudinal associations between egocentric and allocentric VSN, and BBS-s, COPvel-ML, COPvel-AP and WBA within the first 12 weeks post-stroke.

RESULTS

Egocentric (β = -0.08, 95%CI[-0.15;-0.01], P = .029) and allocentric VSN severity (β = -0.09, 95%CI[-0.15; -0.04], P = .002) were significant independent factors for BBS-s scores in the first 12 weeks post-stroke. Egocentric and allocentric VSN were no significant independent factors for COPvel-ML, COPvel-AP and WBA in the first 12 weeks post-stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Allocentric and egocentric VSN severity were significantly associated with decreased standing independence, but not impaired postural control or greater asymmetric weight-bearing, in the early subacute post-stroke phase. This may involve traditional VSN measures being not sensitive enough to detect fine-grained VSN deficits due to a ceiling effect between 5 and 8 weeks post-stroke, once the individual regains standing ability. Future studies may require more sensitive VSN measurements to detect such deficits. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov. unique identifier NCT05060458.

Standardized measurement of balance and mobility post-stroke: Consensus-based core recommendations from the third Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable

BACKGROUND

Mobility is a key priority for stroke survivors. Worldwide consensus of standardized outcome instruments for measuring mobility recovery after stroke is an essential milestone to optimize the quality of stroke rehabilitation and recovery studies and to enable data synthesis across trials.

METHODS

Using a standardized methodology, which involved convening of 13 worldwide experts in the field of mobility rehabilitation, consensus was established through an a priori defined survey-based approach followed by group discussions. The group agreed on balance- and mobility-related definitions and recommended a core set of outcome measure instruments for lower extremity motor function, balance and mobility, biomechanical metrics, and technologies for measuring quality of movement.

RESULTS

Selected measures included the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment lower extremity subscale for motor function, the Trunk Impairment Scale for sitting balance, and the Mini Balance Evaluation System Test (Mini-BESTest) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) for standing balance. The group recommended the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC, 0-5) for walking independence, the 10-meter Walk Test (10 mWT) for walking speed, the 6-Minute Walk Test (6 MWT) for walking endurance, and the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) for complex walking. An FAC score of less than three should be used to determine the need for an additional standing test (FAC < 3, add BBS to Mini-BESTest) or the feasibility to assess walking (FAC < 3, 10 mWT, 6 MWT, and DGI are "not testable"). In addition, recommendations are given for prioritized kinetic and kinematic metrics to be investigated that measure recovery of movement quality of standing balance and walking, as well as for assessment protocols and preferred equipment to be used.

CONCLUSIONS

The present recommendations of measures, metrics, technology, and protocols build on previous consensus meetings of the International Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Alliance to guide the research community to improve the validity and comparability between stroke recovery and rehabilitation studies as a prerequisite for building high-quality, standardized "big data" sets. Ultimately, these recommendations could lead to high-quality, participant-specific data sets to aid the progress toward precision medicine in stroke rehabilitation.