Determinants of improvement in functional abilities in peripheral neuropathy patients undergoing rehabilitation: the role of Berg Balance Scale items

Purpose This prospective observational cohort study aimed to verify whether single Berg Balance Scale (BBS) items were important determinants of improvement in functional abilities in patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN). Methods Data were collected in 75 older patients with PN performing a standard motor rehabilitation program. Backward stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to identify determinants of outcome measures. Gain in total and motor Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and gain in motor-FIM areas were the outcome measures. Results Among BBS items, at the end of rehabilitation, the score was higher in "sitting unsupported" (3.94 ± 0.22) and lower in "standing on one foot" (1.18 ± 1.06). The gain was higher in "standing to sitting" (1.02 ± 0.67) and "standing unsupported" (1.00 ± 1.00), and lower in "sitting unsupported" (0.22 ± 0.60) and "standing on one foot" (0.65 ± 0.77). "Standing unsupported" was the only determinant of gain in motor-FIM (beta − 0.36, p = 0.002) and gain in self-care (beta − 0.37, p = 0.002). The R 2 value of the models was 0.13 and 0.14, respectively. No independent variable was a determinant of gain in total-FIM. Conclusions The study shows that "unsupported standing" is an important determinant of results of ADL rehabilitation in PN patients and indicates that ability to stand without support for a fairly long time is an essential requirement to achieve with rehabilitation higher gain levels in functional abilities in PN patients.