Community Balance and Mobility Scale [CB&M]

Description

The Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M) is an assessment instrument designed to evaluate balance and mobility in individuals with relatively high levels of functional ability, particularly following brain injury or traumatic brain injury. It was developed to assess more demanding aspects of mobility and balance that are required for safe and independent participation in everyday activities within the community.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CB&M is to assess dynamic balance, mobility, and safety during complex community-based activities. Examples include walking on uneven surfaces, climbing stairs, and changing direction while moving.

Structure and Scoring

The scale consists of 13 tasks involving challenging balance and mobility activities, such as fast walking and stair-related movements. Each task is scored on a scale from 0 to 5, while the maximum total score is 96 points.

Higher scores indicate better balance, mobility, and ability to function safely and independently within the community.

Data Analysis and Use

The CB&M is mainly used with individuals who have regained a substantial level of mobility after injury but who continue to experience difficulties with more complex or demanding movement activities. The resulting scores provide useful information about the individual’s ability to move and interact safely and independently within community environments.

The scale may also be used to monitor progress during rehabilitation and to identify areas of mobility that may require further improvement.

Applications

The CB&M may be used in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and research settings, especially when simpler balance measures are not sufficiently challenging for individuals with higher functional ability.

Its use may support individualized rehabilitation planning, evaluation of functional improvement, and assessment of readiness for more complex activities within the community.

References

Howe, J. A., Inness, E. L., Venturini, A., Williams, J. I., & Verrier, M. C. (2006). The Community Balance and Mobility Scale: A balance measure for individuals with traumatic brain injury. Clinical Rehabilitation, 20(10), 885–895.

Inness, E. L., Howe, J. A., Niechwiej-Szwedo, E., Jaglal, S. B., McIlroy, W. E., & Verrier, M. C. (2011). Measuring balance and mobility after traumatic brain injury: Validation of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M). Physiotherapy Canada, 63(2), 199–208.