Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the postural balance in patients with COPD with BESTest before and after a physicaltherapy care. Methods: This is a clinical, prospective, descriptive and experimental study conducted at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia Medical Clinic in Itajubá-MG. The patients were selected and submitted to a thorough evaluation, containing sociodemographic data and balance evaluation with BESTest. Then, an exercise protocol was applied to rehabilitate the patient's balance in the same care. Results: Eight female patients and one male patient participated in the study. All patients presented altered postural balance when evaluated with BESTest. After the application of the protocol, it was possible to verify the improvement of the postural balance in the systems: Stability limits (p=0.015), Postural Transitions (p=0.008), Sensory orientation (p=0.0002) and Stability in gait (p=0.016). Conclusion: The use of BESTest allows a more detailed evaluation of the systems in which the patient presents major deficits, with the result that the physiotherapy performance becomes more specific. The Physiotherapy rehabilitation is effective in improving postural balance, even with its acute effect in patients with COPD.