The Reliability and Validity of Star Performer™ a Computerized tool for Quantifying the Star Excursion Balance Test

Background The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is well recognized in both clinical and research settings as a reliable, valid, and responsive assessment. However, the SEBT is time consuming and inconvenient. To address this limitation, a new device called the Star Performer™ has been developed to improve the efficiency of SEBT. # Purpose To investigate the test-retest reliability of Star Performer™ device and compare its validity to traditional SEBT methods. Study Design Cross-sectional study Methods Twenty-five subjects with lower extremity injuries participated in this study. Each subject performed the SEBT twice, with approximately seven days between tests. The Star Performer™ device and a tape measure were used to record three test trials for each test direction with the average of the three reach distances being used for analysis. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by calculating the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC 3,1) between the average reaching distance for each SEBT direction across the two testing sessions. To assess the validity of the Star Performer™ device, the averaged reaching distance for each SEBT direction was compared with the measurements obtained from the tape measure. Results Seventeen females (68%) and eight males (32%) with lower extremity injuries (mean age= 23.6 years, SD=3.9, range from 19-35) participated. The Star Performer™ demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, with ICC 3,1 values ranging from 0.85 to 0.93 for the eight SEBT directions. The minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level (MDC95) ranged from 2.56 to 5.37% for the eight directions. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the Star Performer™ and tape measure recordings ranged from 0.90 to 0.94 for the eight directions. Conclusion This study provides evidence supporting the test-retest reliability and validity of the Star Performer™ for assessing SEBT performance. These findings suggest that Star Performer™ offers a precise and efficient approach to evaluate SEBT performance in individuals with lower extremity injuries.