Sensores

Journal of NeuroEngineering
and Rehabilitation
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ISway: a sensitive, valid and reliable measure of postural control
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2012, 9:59

doi:10.1186/1743-0003-9-59

Martina Mancini(mancinim@ohsu.edu})
Arash Salarian (salarian@ohsu.edu})
Patricia Carlson-Kuhta (carlsonp@ohsu.edu})
Cris Zampieri (Cristiane.Zampieri-gallagher@nih.gov})
Laurie King (kingla@ohsu.edu})
Lorenzo Chiari (lorenzo.chiari@unibo.it})
Fay B Horak (horakf@ohsu.edu})

ISSN
Article type

1743-0003
Research

Submission date

26 October 2011

Acceptance date

15 August 2012

Publication date

22August 2012

Article URL

http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/9/1/59

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ISway: a sensitive, valid and reliable measure of
postural control
Martina Mancini1,2,*
Email: mancinim@ohsu.edu
Arash Salarian1
Email: salarian@ohsu.edu
Patricia Carlson-Kuhta1
Email: carlsonp@ohsu.edu
Cris Zampieri3
Email: Cristiane.Zampieri-gallagher@nih.gov
Laurie King1
Email: kingla@ohsu.edu
Lorenzo Chiari2
Email:lorenzo.chiari@unibo.it
Fay B Horak1
Email: horakf@ohsu.edu
1

Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science
University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
2

Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Electronics, Computer Science &
Systems, Alma Mater Studiorum-Universita’ di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2,
40136 Bologna, Italy
3

Functional and Applied BiomechanicsLaboratory, Rehabilitation Medicine
Department, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Building 10, MSC
1604, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
*

Corresponding author. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon
Health & Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006,
USA

Abstract
Background
Clinicians need a practical, objective test of postural control that issensitive to mild
neurological disease, shows experimental and clinical validity, and has good test-retest
reliability. We developed an instrumented test of postural sway (ISway) using a body-worn
accelerometer to offer an objective and practical measure of postural control.

Methods
We conducted two separate studies with two groups of subjects. Study I: sensitivity and
experimentalconcurrent validity. Thirteen subjects with early, untreated Parkinson’s disease
(PD) and 12 age-matched control subjects (CTR) were tested in the laboratory, to compare
sway from force-plate COP and inertial sensors. Study II: test-retest reliability and clinical
concurrent validity. A different set of 17 early-to-moderate, treated PD (tested ON
medication), and 17 age-matched CTR subjects weretested in the clinic to compare clinical
balance tests with sway from inertial sensors. For reliability, the sensor was remov ed,
subjects rested for 30 min, and the protocol was repeated. Thirteen sway measures (7 timedomain, 5 frequency-domain measures, and JERK) were computed from the 2D time series
acceleration (ACC) data to determine the best metrics for a clinical balance test.

Results...