Correlation of Balance Performance and Fear of Fall in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease(PD) is characterized by abnormalities in postural control and balance along with psychological issues like fear/anxiety, both affecting the fall rates.Thus,understanding whether balance issues remains same with increased fear of fall or vice a versa is essential for planning our treatment goals for PD patients. This study aimed at assessing correlation between balance performance and fear of falls in Parkinson's patients. 30 subjects of Parkinson disease were included in the study. Balance performance was assessedusing following outcome measures: Unified Parkinson Disease rating scale (UPDRSIIIsubscale items 27, 28, 29, 30), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and GO (TUG), Multidirectional Reach Test (MDRT) and fear of falls using Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) and Modified Fall Efficacy Scale (MFES).Out of the balance measures TUG shows significant moderate correlation with both ABC and MFES (p=0.01). UPDRS III shows poor but significant correlation only with MFE (p=0.04). MDRT BR shows moderate significant correlation with MFES (p=0.02). The other outcome measures showed no significant correlation. Thus, improvement in balance performance does not mean that the fear of fall or confidence level will also improve and should be considered as a different construct.