The Sway App provides a valid and sensitive portable measure of balance in healthy adults
Nanako Tateishi1, Leanne Cormack2, Claire Tucak 3, Robyn Fary 11Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia2Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia3Perron Institute , Nedlands, WA, Australia
Abstract
Background: Measuring balance accurately, in healthy athletic and clinical populations is important. Unilateral stance test is often used to measure balance in clinical practice, but is a crude measure of balance. The SMART EquiTest (gold standard of measuring balance) is expensive and usually available only within a research facility. The Sway App measures balance through a mobile application. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and sensitivity to change of the Sway App.
Design: Pre and post intervention validation study.
Method: Balance of 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 40 years was measured at the same time using a) the SMART EquiTest and b) the Sway App, before and after 6 minutes of foot mobilisation on each foot. Correlation between SMART Equitest and the Sway App measures was calculated to determine validity. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to calculate balance changes after foot mobilisation to determine sensitivity to change.
Results: Statistically significant correlations were noted between Sway App and SMART EquiTest System in three out of the four eyes closed tests (Spearman’s Rho range 0.56 to 0.75). Significant improvements in balance were noted in each measurement condition after foot mobilisation when tested with eyes closed (SMART EquiTest System (Right: p = 0.007, Left: p < 0.001), and Sway App (Right: p = 0.005, Left: p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Sway App is an inexpensive, portable mobile application that is valid and sensitive to change when measuring balance in healthy adults. Further studies in clinical populations are required.
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