• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.61-69
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• 1997

The ability to maintain an upright position during quiet standing is a useful motor skill. The Sensory Organization Test (SOT) is a timed balance test that evaluates somatosensory, visual, and vestibular function for maintenance of upright posture. The Fugl-Meyer Sensorimotor Assessment (FMSA) balance subscale is the functional status assessment that indicates amount of assistance needed during various balance tasks. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is the functional status assessment tool and FIM can be used clinically as an outcome measure. The purpose of this study was to see if the SOT can be used as a evaluation tool to measure hemiplegic patients' balance ability. Thirty-six patients with hemiplegia participated in this study. SOT scores were significantly correlated with FMSA balance scores and FIM scores(p<0.05). However correlation coefficients were not so high (r=0.60, and r=0.51, respectively). Therefore, further study is needed to verify the SOT's usefulness when physical therapists are evaluating for hemiplegic patients' balance ability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2011

Purpose : The purposes of this study were to investigate the age-related difference in balance ability in the elderly over 65 years and to verify the clinical usefulness of the functional reach test (FRT) for balance evaluation of the elderly through the sensory organization test (SOT). Methods : The subjects were forty-six community dwelling elderly people over 65 years old in order to verify the correlation of balance measures and to compare the balance ability. Balance was measured using the FRT and the six sub-equilibrium scores and the composite equilibrium score of the SOT. Pearson's product correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationships among these measurements of balance. Results : There was a significant difference in functional reach by age in the elderly (p<.01). There was a significant negative correlation between the FRT and the age of the elderly (r=-.396, p<.01). There was also significant high positive correlation between the FRT and the eye closed sway surface (EC/SS) (r=.789, p<.01), and composite equilibrium score (r=.548, p<.01) of the SOT. Conclusion : Thus, it is possible to use the FRT as a quantitative measure of balance, rather than the SOT, which is more expensive and complicated to evaluate elderly people. According to the results of this study, the use of the FRT is required clinically to objectively measure the balance of elderly people in the future.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to identify the differences of the static and the dynamic balance reactions in the flexion syndrome (FS) and the extension syndrome (ES) group of the patients with chronic lowback pain (LBP) and healthy subjects. Twenty subjects were included in each group. By using EquiTest 5.02, the static balance was measured by the equilibrium score and the strategy score of sensory organization test (SOT), while the dynamic balance was measured by the latency of motor control test (MCT) and the sway energy of adaptation test (ADT). Oswestry Disability Index (OSI) was used to measure level of the disability in patients with chronic LBP. The equilibrium scores, the strategies of SOT, and thelatencies of MCT of three groups were compared with one way ANOVA, while the sway energy of ADT was compared with repeated measures one way ANOVA. The results of this study showed that the equilibrium scores and the strategy scores of SOT were significantly lower in patients with chronic LBP than in healthy subjects. The equilibrium scores and the strategy scores of SOT were significantly differences between the FS and ES groups in condition 5 (support surface was sway-referenced and visual information waseliminated by eye closure), and 6 (support surface was sway-referenced and visual information was altered by sway-referencing). The FS group showed delayed average reaction time at large posterior translation, however, the ES group showed delayed average reaction time at large anterior translation, Even though the sway energy of the patients with chronic LBP were greater than that of healthy subjects during the toe down (plantar flexion rotation), the values between the FS and ES groups didn't show any significant difference. The disability level showed highly correlation with the equilibrium score of the condition 5. As the results, the FS and ES groups divided by the their symptoms and signs in patients with chronic LBP showed different balance reaction. Therefore, more accurate evaluation and balance treatments are needed to focus on their symptoms and signs in patients with chronic LBP.