%0 Journal Article
%T Sway balance mobile application: reliability, acclimation, and baseline administration
%J Clinical journal of sport medicine
%D 2018
%A Mummareddy, Nishit
%A Brett, Benjamin L.
%A Yengo-Kahn, Aaron M.
%A Solomon, Gary S.
%A Zuckerman, Scott L.
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X OBJECTIVES: To describe historic baseline session administration practices, to assess the utility of a practice trial (an acclimation trial) before the official balance session, and to examine the within-session reliability of the Sway Balance Mobile Application (SBMA). <br><br>DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Middle schools, high schools, and colleges across the United States. PARTICIPANTS: More than 17 000 student-athletes were included in the Sway Medical database with 7968 individuals meeting this study's inclusion criteria. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: The Sway Medical database included the following subject characteristics for each student-athlete: age, sex, weight, and height. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Balance assessment score generated by the SBMA. <br><br>RESULTS: Variable administration practices with significant differences between baseline session averages across methods were found. Individuals who performed an acclimation trial had a significantly higher baseline session average than those who did not. Within-session reliability estimates were in the low to adequate range (r = 0.53-0.78), with higher estimates found for 2 consecutive baseline tests (r = 0.75-0.78). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: For maximum clinical utility, a standardized protocol for postural control baseline acquisition is necessary. Acclimation trial should be administered before a baseline session to minimize variability, especially with only 1 to 2 baseline tests. The highest reliability was observed across 2 consecutive baseline tests within the same baseline session. We suggest obtaining baseline balance measurements with an acclimation trial followed by a baseline session with 2 baseline tests. Prospective studies are required for validation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
%@ 1050-642X
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000626