What is the cutoff score for Berg Balance Scale?
Your provider will ask you to perform 14 specific movements:
- Move from a sitting to a standing position.
- Stand up unsupported.
- Sit unsupported.
- Move from a standing to a sitting position.
- Transfer from one chair to another.
- Stand up with your eyes closed.
- Stand with your feet together.
- Reach forward with an outstretched arm.
- Pick an object up off of the floor.
- Turn and look behind you.
What is the purpose of the Berg Balance Scale?
- Transitioning from sitting to standing without use of arms
- Standing unsupported for two minutes
- Sitting unsupported for two minutes
- Transitioning from standing to sitting without use of arms
- Stand pivot transfer from one chair to another
- Standing with eyes closed for 10 seconds
- Standing with feet together for one minute
How to score the Berg Balance Test?
Berg Balance Scale
- Sitting to standing
- Standing unsupported
- Sitting with back unsupported but feet supported on floor or on a stool
- Standing to sitting
- Transfers
- Standing unsupported with eyes closed
- Standing unsupported with feet together
- Reaching forward with outstretched arm while standing
- Pick up object from the floor from a standing position
How do you score the Berg Balance Test?
References
- Berg KO, Maki BE, Williams JI, Holliday PJ, Wood-Dauphinee SL. (1992) Clinical and laboratory measures of postural balance in an elderly population. ...
- Berg KO, Wood-Dauphinee SL, Williams JI, Maki B. (1992) Measuring balance in the elderly: validation of an instrument. ...
- Shumway-Cook A, Baldwin M, Polissar NL, Gruber W. ...
Objective
The Berg balance scale is used to objectively determine a patient's ability (or inability) to safely balance during a series of predetermined tasks.
Intended Population
Elderly population with impairment of balance, patients with acute stroke (Berg et al 1995, Usuda et al 1998).
Interpretation
Cut-off scores for the elderly were reported by Berg et al 1992 as follows :
What It Is
The Berg Balance Scale is a measure used to assess the quality of balance in patients when sitting and standing. The test is most often completed by a physical therapist (a healthcare professional who provides therapy to preserve, enhance, or restore movement and physical function in people whose abilities are impaired).
How It Works
The Berg Balance Scale is an examination assessment comprised of 14 questions, with a total score out of 56 points. The test scorer can score items between 0 and 4 based on the quality of movement observed with each of the items.
Uses
The Berg Balance Scale is an objective way of assessing balance deficits in patients seeking physical therapy services. It allows the therapist to understand the patient's functional limitations in order to develop ways to help.
A Word From Verywell
Because the quality of a patient’s balance can be hard to quantify, the Berg Balance Scale can be a useful tool to help provide objective data indicating balance problems and risk for falls. This information can be useful to patients, physical therapists, physicians, and insurance companies to help justify needs for skilled physical therapy.
What is the Berg balance scale?
The Berg Balance Scale (or BBS) is a widely used clinical test of a person's static and dynamic balance abilities, named after Katherine Berg, one of the developers. For functional balance tests, the BBS is generally considered to be the gold standard.
Why is the BBS used as an outcome measure?
The use of the BBS as an outcome measure is compromised when participants score high on initial trials. In initial development of the BBS, the authors noted that a limitation to the scale was the lack of items requiring postural response to external stimuli or uneven support surfaces.
Is BBS a valid measure of standing balance?
Considerable evidence indicates that the BBS is also a valid measure of standing balance in post- stroke patients, but only for those who ambulate independently, due to the tasks that are required of the patient.
Berg Balance Scale
The Berg is a validated balance assessment which has been shown to be a reliable predictor of fall risk. It assesses static and dynamic components of sitting and standing activities in multiple planes. Standardized assessments are valid when they are administered consistently and systematically according to published guidelines.
Dynamic Gait Index
This assessment tool is a valid fall predictor and is sensitive to identifying vestibular dysfunction. Sensitivity, however, is contingent on correct administration of the test.
MiniBEST Test
Fay Horak and colleagues at OHSU have researched balance and falls and have developed and tested (validity and reliability) this method to assess balance.
