SENSOR PLATE–BASED EVALUATION OF CENTER OF PRESSURE AND POSTURAL STABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH GAIT AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63001/tbs.2026.v21.i02.S.I(2).pp22116-22135Keywords:
Center of pressure, postural stability,, sensor plate, neurological disorders, balance, gait.Abstract
Background: Balance and gait impairement are among the most functionally limiting conditions of
neurological diseases including Parkinson's disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis and ataxia. The traditional
clinical tools used for balance assessment are mainly subjective, while sensor plate (force platform)
technology offers objective and quantitative, providing a measurement of postural control in the center of
pressure (COP).
Objective: To evaluate center of pressure displacement using sensor plate technology as an objective
marker of postural stability in neurological disorders associated with gait and balance disturbances, and to
examine its relationship to age.
Methods: Fifty patients (age 20-70 years) with gait and balance impairment due to neurological disorders
were evaluated using a foot sensor plate in an observational design. The COP values were obtained and the
correlation between age and COP was examined using Pearson correlation.
Results: The mean pre-evaluation COP was 21.2 ± 1.8 mm, reducing to 16.1 ± 1.5 mm post-evaluation (t
= 9.45, p < 0.001). The highest COP values were obtained in patients with multiple sclerosis, followed by
stroke and Parkinson's disease, while ataxia patients had relatively low COP values. COP correlated
strongly and positively with age (r = 0.72).
Conclusion: Objective evaluation of the sensor plate showed increased postural sway in patients with
neurologic disorders and was correlated with age, which provides evidence for its potential as a sensitive
quantitative tool for a more comprehensive clinical balance assessment.
