Protocol
The SEBT is a dynamic postural control test that requires
balance on 1 leg with maximum reach of the opposite limb.12
The SEBT has been found to have high interrater reliability,
ranging from intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of
0.67 to 0.96, and high intrarater reliability, 0.81 to 0.93.23,27 A
verbal and visual demonstration of the SEBT was provided to
each participant by the investigator. There are 8 directions for
the stance leg; only 3 directions were assessed in this study.
Eight directions are redundant, so excursions were limited
to anteromedial, medial, and posteromedial (Figure 1).22
Participants warmed up using a stationary bike for 5 minutes at
a self-selected pace. Following the warm-up, each participant
was asked to stand on her dominant limb in the center of the
Combo grid (Engineering Fitness International, Inc, San Diego,
California). Four practice trials for each of the 3 excursions were
performed.40 Following a rest break, participants completed 3
trials in randomized order with a 10-second break between trials
and 20 seconds between directions. The trial was completed
when the participant returned to the starting position by placing
the reaching leg within 5 in. (12.7 cm) of the stance leg. The
trial was repeated if she lost balance, lost foot contact, or was
unable to return the reaching foot to the starting position. Reach
distance was normalized to the participant’s leg length.13