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Intensity of Balance Task Intensity, as Measured by the Rate of Perceived Stability, is Independent of Physical Exertion as Measured by Heart Rate

Debbie Espy, Ann Reinthal and Sarah Meisel

Objective: To be safe and effective, all therapeutic aspects of balance training must be set and monitored appropriately. There has been no means to assess the intensity component of balance training. The Rate of Perceived Stability (RPS) measures the level of challenge posed to an individual by a balance task. If using the RPS with balance tasks that also tax the cardio-pulmonary systems, such as video game based balance training, individuals may confuse the physical exertion with the balance challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine that the RPS measures the intensity of the balance exercises, independent of physical exertion as measured by heart rate (HR). Methods: Thirty adults, 19 to 43 years old, played four Wii games (boxing, dancing, tennis, and batting) on four surfaces (foam, wobble, bosu-up and down). HR and RPS were taken at 4 and 8 minutes of each. Statistics performed included: within subjects ANOVA; correlation and ANOVA for all RPS and HR; correlation for each subject, and for all subjects at each condition; regression for HR predicting RPS for each condition. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA for HR and RPS across conditions were both significant (p<0.001). No correlations between HR’s and RPS scores for all subjects, for each subject, or within any condition were significant (all >0.05). No regressions were significant (all >0.05). Conclusion: The self-ratings of stability using the RPS were independent by exertional effects as inferred through HR. The RPS can be used during video game based balance training to assess the intensity of the activity.