Assessment of the enhanced paper grip test for quantifying balance deficits in people with multiple sclerosis: A reliability and applicability study

Authors: Eva Žura, Gregor Brecl Jakob, Panagiotis Chatzistergos, and Žiga Kozinc

Keywords: Balance assessment, Multiple sclerosis, Foot and ankle strength, miniBEST test

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211034825000641

Abstract

This study assessed the reliability and applicability of the Enhanced Paper Grip Test (EPGT) for quantifying balance deficits in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Results

Thirty individuals with MS (mean age: 41.9 ± 9.66 years, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score: 2.13 ± 0.94; mean disease duration: 8.3 ± 6.0 years) were recruited. The EPGT demonstrated excellent intra-visit reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.98) for the weaker side and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89–0.97) for the stronger side. Inter-visit reliabil