The reliability of a portable clinical force plate used for the assessment of static postural control: repeated measures reliability study

Thirty healthy volunteer adults were recruited. Postural control measures were obtained using the Midot Posture Scale Analyzer (MPSA). Data were collected in 2 sessions. Five successive repetitions each of 60 seconds duration were obtained from each participant in each session.The reliability coefficients obtained using single measures were low (ICC3,1？=？0.06 to 0.53). The average of two measures allowed for reliable measurements of COP mean velocity and average location of COP. The average of three and five measures was required to obtain acceptable reliability (ICC？≥？0.70) of relative weight bearing on legs and sway area, respectively. Higher measurement precision values were seen by averaging four or five repetitions for all variables.Single measures did not provide reliable estimates of postural sway, and the averaging of multiple repetitions was necessary to achieve acceptable levels of measurement error. The number of repetitions required to achieve reliable data ranged from 2 to 5. Clinicians should be wary of using single measures derived from similar equipment when making decisions about patients.Postural control organises the orientation and equilibrium of the body during upright stance and is essential to the successful performance of daily movements and activities as well as fall prevention [1]. Postural control depends on visual, vestibular and proprioceptive input and can be disrupted by various perturbations experienced in everyday life [2,3]. Moreover, pathology, medications, alcohol consumption, and the aging process can adversely affect postural control [4,5] .Postural control can be measured subjectively or objectively. Subjective measures of postural control are obtained through the use of questionnaires. Such questionnaires provide valuable information, however they often have limitations with some special populations such as the elderly or individuals with specific physical or cognitive impairment [6,7]. In addition, subjective methods of measu