BTrackS™ Assess Balance software provides an affordable suite of testing and training protocols to objectively determine balance ability and improve balance performance over time. This includes the BTrackS™ Balance Test, an evaluation of postural sway that takes just minutes to complete, and provides percentile rankings and fall risk assessments. Additionally, the latest software provides weight distribution percentages, biofeedback-based balance training and several advanced protocols such as the Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (CTSIB) and Limits of Stability.
BTrackS™ software is provided via USB stick or internet download following purchase of the system. Double click the setup file and follow the installation instructions to load the Assess Balance application onto your Windows PC, laptop or tablet.
Enter information about the individual to be tested or trained in order to establish a profile for tracking results. Profile information is saved locally to your computer or can be linked to the cloud via a private cloud profile system (PCPS).
Choose the balance testing/training protocol to be performed. Standard protocols include Balance and Fall Risk, Weight Distribution and Biofeedback-based Balance Training. Additional protocols (e.g. CTSIB) exist in the Advanced version of the software.
BTrackS™ Assess Balance software gives instant results following testing and training. These results can be printed to share with the person tested, other health professionals or for insurance purposes. Results are also saved for future reference.
BTrackS™ Assess Balance Version 5 software comes in two configurations. In the “Standard” version, two test protocols are provided, along side three training protocols, to assess and train essential aspects of balance. In the “Advanced” version of software, a total of ten protocols (five testing; five training) are available to users. This suite of tools provides the most complete solution for the identification of balance-related issues and a comprehensive means to improve deficits in postural sway control.
See associated table for details on which protocols are supported by Standard and Advanced versions.
Assessing Balance and Fall Risk is fast and easy using the BTrackS™ Balance Test (BBT) protocol. The BBT detects disrupted balance during eyes-closed, feet shoulder width apart static standing over four 20-second trials. The first trial is for familiarization, and the following three trials measure the average number of centimeters of postural sway. BBT results include percentile rankings based on over 20,000 normative values, a fall risk metric (LOW, MOD or HIGH) and have excellent test-retest reliability for tracking balance ability over time.
With BTrackS™ Assess Balance, users can quickly and effectively determine weight distribution percentages in the left/right and front/back directions, as well as the location of body center of pressure as it relates to global postural alignment. Weight bearing asymmetries are indicator of compensatory postural strategies, which are associated with pain and injury.
The Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (CTSIB) is used by experienced balance practitioners to assess how the three main sensory feedback systems for balance (i.e. proprioception, vision, vestibular) function relative to one another. This is done by comparing balance conditions where vision and proprioception are manipulated, by having the person close their eyes and/or stand on a compliant foam surface. CTSIB results include both normative data-driven percentile rankings for each condition, and 95% confidence ellipses that stereotype the direction of postural sway.
New to BTrackS™ Assess Balance version 5, users can now measure the functional base of support of individuals using the Limits of Stability protocol. For this test, individuals stand on the BTrackS™ Balance Plate with feet flat on the ground and lean as far as possible in all directions. Using Biofeedback on the screen, the largest area possible is created based on center of pressure. The total area, and the area in each quadrant of the plate is calculated in real-time and saved for later comparison tests following intervention.
The Cervical Challenge protocol is a test that was developed specifically for chiropractors who are trained in functional neurology. The test consists of 11 trials, each lasting 10 seconds, whereby the patient’s head is in a different cervical posture. The different head postures expose specific vestibular configurations and poor performance on a trials can be interpreted by a trained functional neurologist, along with other data from other tests, to assist in a deeper understanding of a medical condition.
BTrackS™ Assess Balance comes with multiple training protocols that allow focused training of postural control. This includes Left/Right, Front/Back, Diagonal and Random Target acquisition protocols, as well as a Target Tracking protocol. BTrackS™ Balance Training helps individuals learn to control postural sway using biofeedback. During training, the real-time location of a person’s center of pressure is represented on an image of the BTrackS™ Balance Plate. The individual must move their center of pressure into targets of varying difficulty.