Researchers and practitioners across the globe have been searching for a reliable balance testing system for decades. Now, with the development of the Neurometric Balance Mat, it is possible to perform 12 standard balance tests using a single TGA-approved device.
The normal stance test measures the balance of a person standing still on the mat with their feet shoulder width apart as shown in the photograph above. A score of zero indicates zero postural sway and implies the person has excellent balance. Higher scores indicate poorer balance.
Test 2 is the same as Test 1 but with the person’s eyes closed. This extra functionality has been developed specifically for researchers and vestibular practitioners interested in assessing neurological conditions or the nexus between balance and certain medical conditions like Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.
The tandem stance test involves the person standing with one foot in front of the other, heel to toe. It tests lateral postural stability by narrowing the base of support and gives valuable information about the person’s sense of positioning, or proprioception, and motor coordination.
Test 4 is a repeat of Test 3, only with the person’s eyes closed. As with Test 2, the extra eyes-closed functionality can be used by balance, falls risk and neurological researchers and vestibular practitioners to see how well the brain and body are working together.
Often required by vestibular practitioners, the feet together stance reduces the base of support and makes it more challenging to stay balanced. Like the tandem stance, this standing position gives vestibular practitioners more information about how well the brain and body are communicating with each other.
Test 6 is a repeat of Test 5, only with the person’s eyes closed. As with Test 2, the extra eyes-closed functionality can be used by balance, falls risk and neurological researchers and vestibular practitioners to see how well the brain and body are working together.
The semi tandem test is for those who cannot manage the tandem stance since it is an easier test to perform. It gives the practitioner and researcher information about the person’s balance with their lateral stability removed.
Test 8 is a repeat of Test 7, only with the person’s eyes closed. As with the other eyes-closed tests, this test provides more nuanced information about how well the person’s brain and body are working together.
Sometimes called the Stork or Flamingo, Test 9 requires the person to stand on their left foot on the left footprint. The ability to measure static balance on each leg independently and compare the results is an important means of identifying balance asymmetry.
Test 10 is a repeat of Test 9, only with the person’s eyes closed. As with Test 2, the extra eyes-closed functionality can be used by balance, falls risk and neurological researchers and vestibular practitioners to see how well the brain and body are working together.
Test 11 requires the person to stand on their right foot on the right footprint. The ability to measure static balance on each leg independently and compare the results is an important means of identifying balance asymmetry.
Test 12 is a repeat of Test 11, only with the person’s eyes closed. As with the other tests, the extra eyes-closed functionality can be used by researchers and practitioners to see how well the brain and body are working together.
The Neurometric Balance Mat works by sensing and recording the continuous postural adjustments of a person standing on a computerised mat during a sequence of 20-second tests.
The system comprises:
• a computerised mat
• software programmed to accommodate the 12 sequential tests set out above
• access to the Balance Mat online test results system.
Balance data is displayed on a Windows 10 or 11 computer or laptop (not included) as real-time graphs and scores.
The final graphs, scores, biodata, health status and relevant notes are captured in the Balance Mat test results system for comparison over time, making the Neurometric Balance Mat an ideal tool for allied health, medical and falls practitioners and researchers.
Pictured is exercise physiologist Jane Mun having her balance tested by Balance Mat Pty Ltd team member and University of Canberra PhD student Abishek Shrestha.
Clinical testing with more than 500 patients was performed at Hastings Medical Centre in Wauchope, NSW. This initial testing assessed the balance of each patient and at the time of writing in May 2024 a study of the correlation between diabetes and balance ability is proceeding.
The Balance Mat system was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in December 2021.
The product was launched by the Member for Lyne and former Minister for Regional Health Dr David Gillespie MP in January 2022.
The Balance Mat has been validated by researchers at the University of Canberra and Edith Cowan University against force plates and inertial sensors. To date, one scientific paper has been published in the IEEE Sensors online journal (by Dr Maryam Ghahramani) and another (by Dr Isaac Selva Raj) is being considered by the Journal of Biomechanics.
Pictured are Balance Mat inventor Ian Bergman and University of Canberra lecturer and human movement researcher Dr Maryam Ghahramani. Dr Ghahramani is supervising Abishek Shrestha’s PhD balance research.
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