Comparison between Romberg test with sensor-based balance assessment using electronic wobble board

Abstract

The number of fall-related injuries resulting in hospital admissions could place a significant load on hospitals. Prior research revealed that balance impairment is the most reliable indicator of future falls, and postural instability testing is expensive and tedious to be applied in clinical settings. This paper presents an objective based balance assessment method using an electronic wobble board to examine the balance ability among individuals, with minimal specialist intervention. The balancing assessment software modules provide visual feedback such as visual concentration, test procedure teaching, and time counting. Quick objective balance evaluation is facilitated by the software modules, which also can comprise visual feedback and provides instant biofeedback with objective measurements of user’s progress. The balance assessment score obtained from this electronic wobble board was compared against physiotherapists’ ratings using the Romberg test. The results indicated that the sensor-based balance score is comparable with the expert ratings using the Romberg test. Additionally, the sensor-based score provides higher sensitivity in differentiating among similar categories of subjects as compared to the conventional Romberg test.