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The D+R Balance application: a novel method of assessing postural sway

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2015

C Yvon ,
A Najuko-Mafemera  and
R Kanegaonkar
C Yvon*
Affiliation:
Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK
A Najuko-Mafemera
Affiliation:
Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK
R Kanegaonkar
Affiliation:
Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, UK Postgraduate Medical Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Dr C Yvon, 37 Portland Court, 1 Falmouth Road, London SE1 4JX, UK E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background:

Postural sway can be assessed clinically using the Romberg test, or quantified using dynamic posturography. We assessed the potential use of a novel iPhone application as a method of quantifying sway.

Methods:

Fifty healthy volunteers performed the Romberg and tandem Romberg tests on a hard floor and on foam in soundproofed and normal clinic rooms. Postural sway was recorded using the D+R Balance application and data were compared using paired t-tests.

Results:

Significantly more postural sway was noted in participants when standing with their eyes closed and feet in the ‘tandem’ position vs feet together; standing with their eyes closed on foam vs on the floor; and standing with their eyes closed on foam with feet in the tandem position vs on the floor with feet together.

Conclusion:

This feasibility study suggests that the iPhone D+R Balance application deserves further investigation as a means of assessing postural sway and may provide an alternative to current dynamic posturography systems.

Keywords

Postural BalancePhysical ExaminationVestibular Function Tests
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 129 , Issue 8 , August 2015 , pp. 773 - 778
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2015 

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Footnotes

Presented as a poster at the 9th British Society of Neuro-Otology Meeting, 11 October 2013, London, UK, and as an oral presentation at the national ENT Update Conference, 5 December 2013, London, UK

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