Establishing static balance profiles using the Biodex Balance System in South African adults residing in the Johannesburg metropolitan area

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The ability to balance allows human beings to maintain positional equilibrium by coordinating internal and external forces applied to the body. Balance is a motor skill needed by all individuals and can be influenced by both age and gender. An inability to maintain balance, poses a risk of falling and injury. AIM: The aim of this study was to establish static balance profiles for adult men and women. METHODS: This study followed a quantitative descriptive and comparative cohort research design to establish and compare balance profiles for adult men and women. The population consisted of healthy adult men and women between the ages of 18 and 55 residing in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area. A total of 161 participants who volunteered passed the inclusion criteria. The Biodex Balance System was used to assess static balance, using four different balance protocols: Double-leg stable, double-leg unstable, single-leg stable left and right leg and single-leg unstable left and right leg. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric methods were used to analyse the data. All balance tests conducted using the unstable setting, was conducted at level 8. Balance data was reported using the overall stability index. The significance level of all the statistical tests was set at p