[Changes of Motor Balance in the Course of an Inpatient Psychosomatic Rehabilitation].

Aim of the study For many rehabilitants both the motor balance and the feeling of being emotionally stable and in balance are essential preconditions for participation in employment and society. The goal of this study was to capture changes in motor balance in the course of an inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation and to set them in relation to changes in mental variables. Methods 118 patients of a psychosomatic clinic (49.3±8.6 years; 75.4 % women) were examined at the beginning and the end of rehabilitation. To measure motor balance the balance test (GGT) of Bös, Wydra and Karisch, the timed up and go test (TUG), eight tasks of standing balance on an unstable surface as well as eight tasks on a stable surface were used. As psychological variables, self-esteem (MSWS), degree of depressive (BDI-II) and anxiety symptoms (BAI) were measured. Results The motor balance ability, assessed by the GGT (d=1,37), the TUG (d=0,56), tasks of standing balance on an unstable surface (d=1,48) as well as on a stable surface (d=0.67), increased significantly in the course of rehabilitation and was also reflected in the self-evaluation of motor balance (d=0,97). Correlations in the change of motor and mental variables were particularly evident between the balance tasks on an unstable and a stable surface and different scales of the MSWS. Conclusion In the course of rehabilitation, an improvement in psychological symptoms as well as the balance ability was found, however, contrary to our expectations, no significant correlations were observed. At the first view it seems like there would be no relationship between psychological factors and the motor balance of the patients. However it should be noted that motor balance was examined in a standardized situation in which the patients were not exposed to any particular psychological distress. Observations during the conduct of the study suggest that changes in motor balance could be shown rather in observable characteristics of postural control (for example in contraction and relaxation) than in the number of fulfilled tasks. The motor balance tests were not only accepted very well by the rehabilitants but often also provoked self-reflection processes on topics such as balance and stability in a psychosomatic sense. Further research both on the factors influencing the motor balance ability as well as on their relation to the improvement in activity and participation appears promising.