Individuals with chronic pain, i.e., pain > 3 months, report balance problems and falls in
their everyday lives. How balance affects daily functioning, and how to identify individuals
with balance impairments are less studied. The Mini-BESTest has previously shown adequate
construct validity in individuals with chronic pain, however, the test-retest reliability has
not been explored. There is also a need of studies that have focus on the person's own
experiences of balance and the balance tested.
In this observational study we aim to examine the psychometric properties of the
Mini-BESTest, in individuals with chronic pain. Further we aim to explore individual
subjective beliefs and experiences about own balance and being balance tested.
A convenience selection will be used to include two samples of participants. One sample for
the test-retest evaluation, here after called the test-retest part of the study. And one
sample for a think aloud interview, here after called the interview part of the study. At
baseline the participants will be included to one of the two parts.
Participants in the test-retest part will be assessed with the Mini-BESTest on two occasions,
the baseline and the re-test within approximately 2 weeks. The inclusion to the test-retest
sample will continue until at least 50 individuals with no subjective experience of
improvement or deterioration in balance status between the first and second occasions,
according to the self-report measure the Patient global impression of change (PGIC), are
included. This sampling is done in purpose to calculate test-retest reliability in
individuals without subjective change in balance between the two occasions.
To the interview part, approximately ten to twenty individuals will be included for
concurrent think aloud, i.e., think aloud during balance testing with the Mini-BESTest, and
recurrent think aloud, i.e., an interview after the balance assessment. The interviews will
cover questions about the participants experience of the testing with the Mini-BESTest and
their balance.
Data will be collected by use of digitized questionnaires, physical performance tests, a
structured interview and data from medical records.
Statistical tests will be used to evaluate test-retest reliability and internal consistency.
The interviews will be analyzed using thematic analysis.