Do you also lose your balance when walking? Let's talk about the Berg Balance Scale!

Have you ever felt like you were about to fall when you suddenly stood up, walked, or bent down to pick something up? Or does an elderly person in your house often fall without balance? In fact, the balance of this body, that is, balance, is much more important than we think. If there is even a slight deficiency in this balance, it can be a big obstacle to our daily activities. At such times, a very simple but very important test is used to measure exactly what level of balance your body is and how much risk you have of falling.

Why is this Berg Balance Test done?

Simply put, if you have a medical condition that can affect your body's balance, your doctor may recommend this test. It's like balancing the wheels of a car. It's about checking whether our body is in balance.

Think about it, our body is a very complex machine. To maintain balance, many things need to work together, including the brain, inner ear, eyes, leg muscles, and spine. If there is even a slight weakness in any of these, it can affect our balance.

Here are some medical conditions that can affect balance:

• Alzheimer's disease: This is a condition in which brain function declines, leading to loss of body control and balance.
• Inner ear/vestibular issues: The inner ear is the part of our body that is primarily responsible for our balance. It's like the 'spirit level' in a car. So if there is a problem with the inner ear, you may experience constant dizziness and loss of balance.
• Intellectual disabilities.
• Limb loss or amputation.
• Lung disease: Sometimes, even when you can't breathe properly, your body doesn't get enough oxygen, which can make you feel lifeless and affect your balance.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS): This is a disease that affects the nervous system, causing the body's ability to transmit messages to others, resulting in loss of muscle control and balance.
• Osteoarthritis: Pain and loss of function caused by wear and tear on the joints, especially the knees and hips, can affect balance while walking.
• Parkinson's disease: This disease affects the parts of the brain that control body movements, causing significant loss of balance when walking and turning.
• Progressive dementia.
• Spinal cord injury.
• Traumatic brain injury.

If you have this condition, this test can be very helpful in assessing your fall risk.

How does this Berg Balance Scale work?

This is very simple. Your doctor or physiotherapist will give you 14 very simple exercises to do. These include sitting, standing, and doing small movements.

They look at how you do each of these activities, and they give you a score. The score is given on a scale from zero (0) to four (4) .

• You get 4 points if you can do the activity well without any help or difficulty.
• You get 0 points if you cannot do the activity, or if you need a lot of help to do it.

Finally, the scores for all 14 activities are added together. The total score determines your risk of falling.

What do you have to do during the test?

This test usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. A physiotherapist or doctor will tell you to do these activities. These are very simple things. Let's see what they are.

Are you afraid to do these things?

When doing some of these activities, especially if you have a real balance problem, it's normal to feel a little scared and nervous, "Oh, am I going to fall?" But you don't have to worry about that at all. Because your doctor or physical therapist will be right next to you throughout this test. If you feel like you're going to fall, they're always ready to catch you and help you.

Also, if you feel pain while doing an activity or if it's difficult to do, say so right away. There's no need to force anything.

What do the signs say?

The total score can range from 0 to 56. The lower the score, the higher your risk of falling. Three main factors affect how you score:

• Completing the activity without help: Imagine standing on one leg. If you can do it without using your hands or holding anything, you get more points.
• Staying in a certain position: Sometimes you'll be asked to stay in a certain position for about a minute. The more you can do it, the higher the score.
• Staying stable while moving: When you move, you also pay attention to how you maintain your posture to balance your body weight.

Based on your final total score, you will be divided into three main categories, and the doctor will recommend what kind of help you need to get around safely.

When should I see the doctor?

Most often, this Berg balance test is done on someone who already has balance problems. So if you have a medical condition, if its symptoms are getting worse , or if new symptoms appear, be sure to talk to your doctor.

Even someone who is not sick can suddenly experience dizziness, lightheadedness, and loss of balance. These may be temporary. However, they can also be early signs of some medical conditions. Therefore, if these symptoms last for more than an hour, or if they are accompanied by the following symptoms, see a doctor immediately.

• Headache
• Neck pain
• Nausea and vomiting

Your doctor will perform the necessary tests and find out what is causing this dizziness and loss of balance.

How reliable is this test?

The Berg Balance Scale is a standardized test used worldwide to measure balance and fall risk. Research has shown it to be a very reliable method.

But there are limitations to this too. For example, this test cannot be used to detect gait abnormalities. Your 'gait' refers to the way you walk. Some people shuffle their feet, some walk with a swaying gait. There are separate tests to detect things like that.

Finally, balance problems can make it difficult to do your daily activities and keep you from being as active as you would like. The Berg balance test is a great way to assess whether you can move around safely and confidently. The results will help your doctor and physical therapist provide you with the support, exercises, and guidance you need.

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