The Relationship between Stepping Test, Functional Reach Test and Balance Board Test in Healthy Male Students

Aims: Various tests to assess dynamic balance ability have been developed. The spot stepping (stepping) test assesses balance ability when a person voluntarily moves the body. The functional reach (FR) test assesses balance ability when a person is subjected to added stimulation to make the body unstable. The balance board (BB) test assesses balance ability when a person is subjected to added stimulation while continuously standing on one leg. This study aimed to examine the relationship between each of these tests with regards to dynamic balance ability.

Methodology: The subjects were 37 young males (mean age, 22.8 years; SD, 4.9 years). The time difference between the stipulated tempo (40 bpm) and the real timing of steps in the stepping test, the reach distance for the FR test and the fluctuation index for the BB test were selected as evaluation parameters. In addition, the BB test used the values obtained from the manipulating leg.

Results: A significant and moderate correlation (r = 0.40, p<0.05) was found between the stepping and the BB test. In these tests, the body receives stimulus voluntarily or involuntary. Neither the stepping test nor the BB test showed significant correlation with the FR test during which subjects voluntarily shift their center of gravity forward.

Conclusion: The FR test assesses a very different functional ability than the stepping and BB tests and this explains why the relationships were not high.