The BESS (Balance Error Scoring System) total score is calculated by summing up the errors made during the test administration.
Calculating Your BESS Total Score
According to the provided reference, the method for calculating the BESS total is straightforward:
- The BESS is calculated by adding one error point for each error during the 6 20-second tests.
This means you count every specific error that occurs across all parts of the test and add them together to get the final score.
Breakdown of the BESS Test
The BESS test typically involves standing in six different stances for 20 seconds each. These stances are performed on two surfaces: a firm surface and a foam surface.
The six stances are usually:
- Double leg stance (feet together) - firm surface
- Single leg stance (non-dominant leg) - firm surface
- Tandem stance (heel-to-toe) - firm surface
- Double leg stance (feet together) - foam surface
- Single leg stance (non-dominant leg) - foam surface
- Tandem stance (heel-to-toe) - foam surface
Each stance is performed for 20 seconds with the eyes closed and hands on hips.
Identifying Errors
During each 20-second test, specific deviations from the correct stance are counted as errors. Each error typically adds one point to the total score. Common errors include:
- Lifting hands off hips
- Opening eyes
- Stepping, stumbling, or falling
- Moving the hip into more than 30 degrees of flexion or abduction
- Lifting the forefoot or heel off the testing surface
- Remaining out of the proper stance for more than 5 seconds
A maximum of 10 errors is typically recorded for each 20-second test condition.
Summing the Scores
After completing all six 20-second tests and recording the errors for each, you simply add the number of errors from all six tests together to get the BESS total score. A higher total score indicates poorer balance.
For example, if a person makes the following number of errors:
- Firm Double Leg: 2 errors
- Firm Single Leg: 4 errors
- Firm Tandem: 6 errors
- Foam Double Leg: 5 errors
- Foam Single Leg: 8 errors
- Foam Tandem: 10 errors
The BESS total score would be 2 + 4 + 6 + 5 + 8 + 10 = 35 errors.
Understanding how errors are counted and consistently applying the scoring criteria across all six stances is key to accurately calculating the BESS total.
