The BBS is a l4-item scale that quantitatively
assesses balance and risk
for falls in older community-dwelling
adults through direct observation of
their performance.2 The scale requires
10 to 20 minutes to complete
and measures the patient's ability to
maintain balance—either statically
or while performing various functional
movements—for a specified
duration of time. The items are scored
from 0 to 4, with a score of 0 representing
an inability to complete the
task and a score of 4 representing independent
item completion. A global
score is calculated out of 56 possible
points. Scores of 0 to 20 represent
balance impairment, 21 to 40 represent
acceptable balance, and 41 to 56
represent good balance. The BBS measures
both static and dynamic aspects
of balance. The ease with which the
BBS can be