Weightbearing during comfortable stance in patients with stroke: Accuracy and reliability of measurements.

This study was designed to describe the accuracy and intrasession reliability of weightbearing measurements obtained with digital bathroom scales during comfortable bilateral upright stance in patients with stroke. The 20 subjects were all independently ambulatory with a unilateral assistive device. Their weightbearing during comfortable stance was measured over three trials. Analysis of variance revealed that the sum of the weightbearing measurements of the paretic and nonparetic sides did not differ significantly from total body weight. Thus, the measurements were considered accurate. Some variability in the weightbearing measurements was demonstrated with analysis of variance, which revealed significant differences between trials on both sides. Nevertheless, reliability as described by intraclass correlation coefficients was good (0.829 paretic side, 0.876 nonparetic side). Although such reliability is sufficient to justify clinical use, methods for increasing reliability should be examined.