Relationship between Nintendo's Wii balance board derived variables and clinical balance scores in individuals with stroke.

Abstract Background The Wii Balance Board (WBB) is widely studied as a balance testing platform and is reliable in detecting changes in the body’s center of pressure (COP). However, the relationship between WBB derived measures and clinical tests of balance is currently unknown. Research question To investigate the association between static and dynamic COP measures from the WBB with balance tests commonly used in chronic stroke. Methods This retrospective study included sixty-nine individuals with stroke who performed the Berg Balance Score (BBS), the Mini-BESTest and WBB assessments as a part of their baseline measurements. The WBB assessments included body weight symmetry and a dynamic target matching task that measured Reaction Time (RT) and Completion Time (CT). Results Body weight symmetry performed with eyes open was significantly different between participants who were classified as high and moderate balance using the Mini-BESTest (p = 0.03). A significant negative linear correlation was observed between the BBS and CT (rho = -0.29, p = 0.021) and between the Mini-BESTest and RT (rho=-0.246, p = 0.05). Significance We provide preliminary but weak evidence supporting the relationship between WBB derived variables in relevance to the BBS and Mini-BESTest. Further research is needed to fully understand the clinical utility of the WBB especially in a larger sample and to generalize these results to stroke survivors at all levels of ability.