Posturography in patients with stroke: estimating the percentage of body weight on each foot from a single force platform.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Posturography in patients with stroke is widely based on the use of a single force platform and the weightbearing asymmetry quantified from the lateral shift of the center of pressure toward the sound leg. Because the percentage of body weight on each side is a more concrete variable, the present study analyzed the possibility of inferring percentage of body weight from center of pressure.

METHODS

Forty-five hemiparetic subjects were asked to stand on a dual platform in a standardized position 3 months after a hemispheric stroke. First, the relationship between the %BW on each foot and the lateral shift of center of pressure was established. Second, the model was tested with a healthy subject standing on a single force platform.

RESULTS

The percentage of body weight may be simply modeled from the center of pressure shift, a center of pressure displacement of 10 mm corresponding to a 5% increase in body weight on this side (r=0.97, P<0.001). This linear model is reliable, accurate, and may be generalized to other stand widths.

CONCLUSIONS

This finding should be useful for constructors and users of single force platforms, especially those involved in posturographic assessments of asymmetric conditions such as hemiparesis.