Relationship between Fear of Falling, Balance Impairment and Functional Mobility In Stroke Patients

Author(s):

Prakash Borade, Ashwini Kale PT, Shradha Shah PT

Introduction: Fear of falling in stroke subjects is a major cause of loss of independence,
which has an effect on the physical function in them. The aim of the study is to find
whether a relationship exist among fear of falling, balance impairment and functional
mobility in stroke population. Method: The sample consisted of 37 stroke subjects
in sub-acute and chronic stage of age between 35 years to 65 years (mean=48.91, SD
± 10.67). Fear of falling was measured using Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), balance was
measured using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and functional mobility was assessed using
the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). Result: The data was analyzed using Pearson coefficient
of correlation to examine the relationship between FES, BBS and TUG test and
with t-test. The correlation co-efficient between fall efficacy and balance performance
was –0.75 (p£ 0.0001) and correlation coefficient between fall efficacy and TUG was
0.60 (p£ 0.000068). Conclusion: This study concluded that there was a significant
association between fall efficacy, balance performance and functional mobility among
subacute and chronic patients with stroke. This relationship has an implication for the
development of rehabilitation programs that aim to improve the balance confidence as
well to diminish its impact on function in stroke patients.