BBS

Abbreviation with 3 meanings

BBS
Stands forBerg Balance Scale
Meanings3
CategoriesMedical, Texting & Internet Slang, Technology & Computing

BBS has three meanings. The most common are Berg Balance Scale (rehabilitation) and Be back soon (texting and chat); it can also stand for Bulletin board system.

Meanings of BBS at a glance

#BBS stands forContext
1Berg Balance ScaleMedical › Rehabilitation
2Be back soonTexting & Internet Slang › Texting and Chat
3Bulletin board systemTechnology & Computing › Internet & Web

1. Berg Balance Scale

Medical · Rehabilitation Abbreviations

Fourteen-item balance test scoring tasks such as standing unsupported, reaching, turning, standing on one leg and stepping onto a stool, each from 0 to 4, for a total of 56.

Example: BBS 38/56, high fall risk; recommend FWW for all mobility.

Developed by Katherine Berg and colleagues in Canada and published in 1989. Scores below about 45 are often linked with increased fall risk, though cutoffs vary by population. It has ceiling effects in higher-functioning patients, for whom tests like the FGA are better.

2. Be back soon

Texting & Internet Slang · Texting and Chat Abbreviations

Lets chat partners know the writer is stepping away but expects to return shortly. Common in 1990s and 2000s instant messaging and online gaming.

Example: Dinner time, bbs, save my spot in the party.

In computing history BBS means bulletin board system, the dial-up message boards of the 1980s and early 1990s where much chat shorthand was born. In a sign-off, the "be back soon" sense is obvious.

3. Bulletin board system

Technology & Computing · Internet & Web Abbreviations

A computer that users dialed into with a modem to read and post messages, download files and play text games; a forerunner of web forums and social media in the 1980s and early 1990s. Most were run by hobbyists from home.

Example: Before the web, he ran a BBS from his bedroom with two phone lines and a 2400-baud modem.

The first, CBBS, was created by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess in Chicago in 1978. FidoNet linked thousands of these systems to exchange mail and messages. Most closed as internet access spread in the mid-1990s, though some survive over Telnet. In China and Taiwan, "BBS" long remained a common name for online forums.

More rehabilitation abbreviations

  • AFO – Ankle-foot orthosis
  • AKA – Above-knee amputation
  • AM-PAC – Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care
  • AROM – Active range of motion
  • BKA – Below-knee amputation
  • BWSTT – Body-weight-supported treadmill training
  • CGA – Contact guard assist
  • CIMT – Constraint-induced movement therapy

See all 98 rehabilitation abbreviations →

More texting and chat abbreviations

  • B4N – Bye for now
  • BB – Bye-bye
  • BBIAB – Be back in a bit
  • BBL – Be back later
  • BC – Because
  • BDAY – Birthday
  • BFF – Best friends forever
  • BFFL – Best friends for life

See all 215 texting and chat abbreviations →

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.