Postural seated balance in children can be assessed with good reliability

•Seated balance parameters were evaluated in 66 healthy children aged 7-14.•Seated balance with up-right back was compared to relaxed back position.•Distance and variability are reliable parameters of seated postural balance.•Lower seated balance parameters were seen for up-right back position and for girls.•Reference for further studies on seated balance.

BackgroundSeated postural stability can be measured using Tekscan, CONFORMat. Standing postural stability has gained great clinical and, research value by use of different force platforms with mostly good reliability. No reliability testing or biologic variation assessment has been documented regarding seated balance. This study determines the reliability of the parameters of seated balance in healthy children using the Tekscan CONFORMat equipment.MethodsSixty-six healthy children completed six measurements of seating position the first three with the child seated in a relaxed normal back position and the next three with the child seated in a complete up-right back position. The SAM software calculated five default parameters of balance (area, distance, variability, antero-posterior (AP) excursion and left-right excursion).ResultsReliability parameters were assessed by one-way analysis of variance intra-class correlation (ICC) proving excellent reliability for relaxed and up-right back position with respect to distance (0.75/0.84) and good reliability with respect to variability (0.61/0.62) and area (0.61/0.60). AP excursion (0.41/0.59) and left-right excursion (0.54/0.24) showed fair to poor reliability.ConclusionIn conclusion, two of the five default parameters of balance used in the Tekscan CONFORMat system are direction-independent parameters and have been found reproducible for measuring seated balance in children. This study can be used as reference for comparisons of seated balance in children with affected seated postural control and for evaluating a clinical treatment effect.