Balance ability measured with the Berg balance scale: a determinant of fall history in community-dwelling adults with leg amputation.

OBJECTIVE: Falls are common among adults with leg amputations and associated with balance confidence. But subjective confidence is not equivalent with physical ability. This multivariate analyses of community-dwelling adults with leg amputations examined relationships among individual characteristics, falls, balance ability and balance confidence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: Community-dwelling adults with leg amputations recruited from a support group and prosthetic clinic. METHODS: Subjects provided self-reported medical/fall history, prosthetic functional use, and Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) questionnaire data. Balance ability was assessed with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Fall incidence was categorized as any fall (one or more) and recurrent falls (more than one). Multivariate logistic regression analyzed relationships within the two fall categories. Cross tabulations and ANOVA analyzed differences among subcategories. RESULTS: Fifty-four subjects (mean age 56.8) with various etiologies, amputation levels, and balance abilities participated. 53.7% had any fall; 25.9% had recurrent falls. Models for both fall categories correctly classified fall history in > 70% of subjects with combinations of the variables ABC, BBS, body-mass-index, and amputation level. CONCLUSION: Falls occurred regardless of clinical characteristics. Total BBS and select item scores were independent determinants of fall history. Unlike other balance-impaired populations, adults with leg amputation and better balance ability had greater odds of falling.

Role of balance ability and confidence in prosthetic use for mobility of people with lower-limb loss.

For people with lower-limb loss, impaired balance is common and limits prosthetic function within the community. This cross-sectional study (1) analyzed relationships among prosthetic use for mobility, balance ability and confidence, and amputation-related variables and (2) determined multivariate models to identify level of prosthetic use. Subjects included 46 community-dwelling adults (mean age 56.2 yr) with limb loss (91.3% unilateral) of varied levels (52.2% transtibial) and etiologies (69.6% vascular). A three-variable linear regression model including balance ability, balance confidence, and years since amputation explained 63.7% of variance in the Houghton scale of prosthetic use score. A logistic regression model including the 14-task Berg Balance Scale, balance confidence, years since amputation, age, and number of comorbidities correctly differentiated between people who had reached a satisfactory level of prosthetic use or not 89.1% of the time. The first three variables demonstrated moderate accuracy with positive likelihood ratios from 2.34 to 4.35. The regression model was further reduced to correctly classify 87.0% of cases with three balance ability tasks (retrieving objects from floor, turning to look behind, and placing alternate foot on stool), balance confidence, and numbers of comorbidities. Logistic models that include balance ability, balance confidence, and numbers of comorbidities can identify level of prosthetic use in people with lower-limb loss. Increased balance confidence and ability when retrieving objects from floor, turning to look behind, and placing alternate foot on stool were most indicative of successful prosthetic use for mobility.