Abstract:
A common clinical tool for balance assessment in the elderly is the modified clinical test for sensory interaction and balance
(mCTSIB). This test is used for assessing the ability to appropriately organize sensory information for stance control by timing the
stance duration. The mCISIB composes of four conditions; stand with eyes open and eyes closed on a firm surface and foam
surface. Types of foam pad used in the mCTSIB test can affect accuracy of the test results. The NeuroCom foam is the standard
foam used for the mCTSIB testing but it is expensive. At present, the AIREX Balance-Pad is a cheaper foam that is widely used
in both clinical and laboratory settings but there is no report on its appropriateness for the mCTSIB. Therefore, this study aimed
to compare time to maintain stability between AIREX Balance-Pad foam and the NeuroCom foam whenstanding on conditions
of the mCTSIB in elderly. Sixty-eight healthy elderly persons were asked to maintain stability under four conditions of mCTSIB:
firm and foam surface (AIREX and NeuroCom) with eyes open and eyes closed for 120 seconds each condition. Participant’s
time to maintain stability during the mCTSIB test was recorded using the stop watch. Combination of the time to maintain stability
on four conditions of the mCTSIB (composite score) and standing time on each foam condition was compared between AIREX
and NeuroCom foams. Paired samples t-test was conducted to compare between two types of foams at a level of p-value <
0.05. The composite score measured during the mCTSIB test was significant higher (p = 0 . 0 0 0 ) when using the AIREX foam
(431.78 64.37 seconds) compared to the NeuroCom foam (424.06 67.66 seconds). Significant difference of time to maintain
stability between two different types of foam pads was found for eyes closed condition (p = 0.001), but not eyes open condition
(p = 0 .0 9 9 ) . A composite score for the mCTSIB on the NeuroCom foam differs from the AIREX foam, especially under eyes
closed condition. Using different types of foam in balance test may lead to the wrong interpretation of balance performance of
elderly persons.