Effectiveness of Weight-Bearing Ratio with Berg Balance Scale in Geriatric Patients Undergoing Recovery-Phase Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

This pilot study explores how the weight-bearing ratio relates to balance ability in elderly patients during recovery-phase rehabilitation.

Contribution

The study introduces weight-bearing ratio as a potential simple clinical indicator for assessing ambulation ability in geriatric rehabilitation.

Findings

A strong positive correlation was found between Berg Balance Scale scores and weight-bearing ratio.

Weight-bearing ratio differed significantly between patients using walkers and those using sticks.

The correlation remained significant even after adjusting for age.

Abstract

Introduction: Independent ambulation is crucial for elderly patients in recovery-phase rehabilitation. However, a simple clinical indicator linking balance ability to safe ambulation remains elusive. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of weight-bearing ratio (WBR) as a simple measure of ambulation ability in elderly patients undergoing recovery-phase rehabilitation.

Methods: 35 patients (male:female=11:24) with a Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) of 3 or higher were enrolled. Data included age, sex, weight, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores, and WBR. Patients were grouped by ambulation aid: walkers/cars (Group A) and sticks (Group B). Group differences were analyzed statistically (p<0.05).

Results: Groups A and B averaged 85.1 ± 6.4 and 77.4 ± 6.4 years, respectively. BBS scores and WBR differed significantly between groups (p<0.05). A strong positive correlation existed between BBS scores and WBR (r=0.824, p<0.01), persisting after controlling for age (rp =0.781, p<0.01).

Conclusion: Our results showed a significant and positive correlation between BBS scores and WBRs of elderly patients undergoing recovery-phase rehabilitation who were evaluated according to ambulation aid. WBR may be a simple and useful measure of ambulation status in those patients.