Validation of a Modified Romberg’s Test to determine normal adult lower limb unconscious proprioception times

Abstract

Background: Proprioception is considered the ability of the body to detect movement and joint position, and has great implications in neuromuscular control. There are currently no standardised clinical tests to objectively determine how much should be considered normal in its evaluation in the healthy population with a mature gait pattern. In 2012, a clinical sign called the modified Romberg test was designed to determine the proprioceptive values in the lower limbs of the normal population.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional blind study was conducted on a cohort of patients with no history of osteoarticular injury in the lower limbs and no peripheral neuropathy. The subjects underwent the modified Romberg test, with a record made of its value in seconds in the lower right and left limbs, and comparing them with age, laterality, and gender.
Results: The study included 163 patients. On stratifying the subjects evaluated according to age groups, a tendency to decrease the modified Romberg test result with increased age was observed. According to the analysis, it can be observed that the proprioception of a limb does not have a significant difference (P=.53) with respect to the contralateral limb (laterality) or gender, but there is with respect to age.
Discussion: The modified Romberg test result of 20 seconds is a useful tool for the determination of normal proprioception in adults. This value decreases with age, without showing differences as regards the laterality or gender of the subject.
Evidence Level: IV.