Affiliations: [a] Hacettepe University Medical School, Department of
Sports Medicine, Ankara, Turkey | [b] Ankara Social Security Educational Hospital,
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara, Turkey
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Sedat Tolga Aydo�, Hacettepe
University Medical School, Department of Sports Medicine, Sihhiye/Ankara, 06100
Turkey. Tel.: +90 312 3054019; Fax: +90 312 3051347; E-mail:
taydog@hacettepe.edu.tr
Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of postural stability
scores in blind athletes. Design: Within-subject, repeated trials of postural stability. Setting: Laboratory located at a physical medicine and
rehabilitation center. Participants: Eighteen congenitally blind goal-ball players. Main outcome measures: Three postural stability indices: overall,
anteroposterior and mediolateral was evaluated. Means of each day and of the
best score of each day were calculated from the three test trials. Results: No significant differences were determined between the mean
score on each of the two days or between the mean score and the mean of the
best score of each day. Intraclass coefficients (ICC) for the two testing days
ranged from 0.59 to 0.83 based on the mean value, and from 0.40 to 0.86 based
on the best value. The standard error of measurement (SEM) ranged between
0.4–1.1, which was equivalent to 18% of the stability index scores. Conclusions: Based on both ICC and SEM results, findings derived
from this postural balance test have acceptable reproducibility in the overall
and anteroposterior indices but only fair reproducibility in the mediolateral
index.
