Development and Validation of a Reliable Instrumented Version of Trunk Impairment Scale

Trunk performance has been recognized as an important independent predictor of activities of daily living after a stroke (1). Clinical outcome measures for assessing trunk control include the Trunk Control Test (TCT) and the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) (2). The TIS demonstrates high validity and reliability with a less pronounced ceiling effect than other tools (3), however the scale is observer-dependent. Developments in technology allow clinical measures to be scored automatically. This research investigates the feasibility of using sensors to develop an instrumented TIS.1. Verheyden, G., Nieuwboer, A., De Wit, L., Feys, H., Schuback, B., Baert, I., Jenni, W., Schupp, W., Thijs, V. and De Weerdt, W. (2007a) 'Trunk performance after stroke: an eye catching predictor of functional outcome', J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 78(7), 694-8.2. .Verheyden, G., Nieuwboer, A., Feys, H., Thijs, V., Vaes, K. and De Weerdt, W. (2005) 'Discriminant ability of the Trunk Impairment Scale: A comparison between stroke patients and healthy individuals', Disabil Rehabil, 27(17), 1023-83. Verheyden, G., Nieuwboer, A., Van de Winckel, A. and De Weerdt, W. (2007b) 'Clinical tools to measure trunk performance after stroke: a systematic review of the literature', Clin Rehabil, 21(5), 387-94.