Balance problems are common after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Symptoms of dizziness, unsteadiness, or imbalance have been most frequently attributed to sensory organization problems involving the use of visual, proprioceptive, and/or vestibular information for postural control. These problems can be assessed with the Sensory Organization Test (SOT). However, as head trauma can affect any brain region, areas responsible for voluntary control of movements involved in dynamic balance tasks, such as the motor cortex and its projections, could also be compromised, which would likely affect one's limits of stability. The Limits of Stability (LOS) balance test has received little attention in TBI. In the present study, we compared the prevalence of SOT versus LOS abnormalities in a cohort of 48 patients, the majority classified as having mild or moderate chronic TBI. Compared with a normative database provided by the balance testing manufacturer, a larger portion of our cohort presented abnormalities in the LOS test. Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) results indicated mild disability, with the five activities most frequently endorsed as problematic being: looking up, performing quick head movements, performing ambitious such as sports or dancing activities, feeling frustrated, and performing strenuous house/yard work. Although regression analysis revealed that both tests significantly predicted subjective scores on the DHI, more LOS than SOT testing variables were important predictors of DHI results indicating disability. These results suggest that the LOS test is an informative tool that should be included in any objective balance evaluations that screen TBI patients with balance complaints.
Keywords: TBI; balance; limits of stability; posture; sensory organization; symptoms.