The purpose of this study was to consider the validity of measuring the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), which has been used as a measure of balance ability in athletes, for community-dwelling elderly people. To achieve this purpose, we examined the relationship between the existing balance ability measures, leg strength, and the SEBT. The subjects were 36 elderly people (mean age: 71.1 years). We used the SEBT, functional reach test (FRT), timed up-and-go test (TUG), and Mini-BESTest to evaluate balance ability and the 30-second chair-stand test (CS-30) to assess leg strength; we also assessed the 10-m walk time. The correlation coefficient with the SEBT was calculated. The significant level was 5%. A significant positive correlation was observed between the total score of Mini-BESTest and the SEBT reach distance in the anterior direction (r = 0.364, p < 0.05) and the posteromedial direction (r = 0.407, p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between anticipatory postural control and the SEBT reach distance in the anterior directions (r = 0.403, p < 0.05), and postural responses and SEBT reach distance in the posterolateral direction (r = 0.360, p < 0.05), which were subsystem category of Mini-BESTest. No significant correlation was found in the other items. The correlation with Mini-BESTest indicates that SEBT might be a valid tool to evaluate the dynamic balance ability of community-dwelling elderly people. However, their correlation coefficient is not high, suggesting that SEBT can evaluate elements different from Mini-BESTest.

  Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been noted as an effective pre-conditioning intervention for an increase of the rate of development (RFD). However, it is unknown whether NMES increases muscle flexibility. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) at 20% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) torque level for 5 seconds used as a warm-up is effective for improving the range of motion (ROM) following increased tolerance for muscle extensibility with/without alteration of the MTU stiffness.   Methods and Results: Maximum ROM and ROM with standardized torque (30N) were measured in both legs in thirteen healthy males before and after NMES intervention at a 20% MVIC level for 5 seconds. The maximum ROM increased after intervention compared with before intervention on the NMES side, while it was not changed on the non-NMES side. In addition, there were no significant differences in the ROM with standardized torque in any measurements.  Conclusion: It is concluded that NMES at 20% MVIC for 5 seconds could be effective for improving ROM following an increased tolerance for muscle extensibility without alteration of the MTU stiffness.