Is the BESS test really the best option?

As some of you may know, I am a teacher at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and one of the subjects I teach is research and innovation. This Year, four of my students completed a research project concerning the BESS test for use in cases of mTBI. I am very proud of the work they have done and wanted to allow them to showcase their results here.

This unpublished qualitative study, led by Greta Ilcsik, Edmond Bayo, Jasper Wesselink, and Nora Dijkstra, examines the perceived pros and cons of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) test for post-concussion patients, with a specific focus on athletes. The research involves in-depth interviews with expert physiotherapists in the field of concussions to delve into their knowledge, experiences, and opinions on various balance assessment methods they use.

The goal is to understand the current practices in balance testing post-concussions and determine if a dynamic approach might be more effective than the static BESS test, particularly for athletes. The findings suggest that although the BESS test is convenient for clinical settings due to its lack of specialized equipment and quick implementation, it is not widely known among physiotherapists and can be challenging to use with certain patients.