Introduction :

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 4–week intensive balance training program and to assess the retention effects during follow–up in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) using the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest).

Methods :

The study included 16 SCD patients. We considered the patients with a Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) score of ＜3 points for inclusion. Our program included five 1–hour training sessions per week with one–on–one instructions and five 1–hour self–balance training sessions per week for 4 weeks. Additionally, occupational or speech–language–hearing therapies were performed for 1 hour a day. We assessed the SARA score and BESTest findings 4 weeks before the intervention (E1), immediately before the first training (E2), immediately after the last training (E3), and 1 month after the last training (E4).

Results :

The SARA score was not significantly different between E2 and E3. The section III (anticipatory postural adjustment), section IV (postural response), and section VI (gait stability) subcategories of the BESTest were significantly different between E2 and E3. Additionally, the section III subcategory of the BESTest showed significant improvement at E4 than at E2.

Conclusion :

It is possible to identify the balance elements that are considered weak using the BESTest in ambulatory SCD patients. We could identify the weak points and balance elements associated with weakness by performing an evaluation using the BESTest protocol. Furthermore, it suggested that the intervention has effects on the total score and the sections III, IV, and VI subcategories of the BESTest, and these tend to sensitively capture the changes associated with the intervention.