Immediate effects of verbal instructions with internal focus of attention and external focus of attention on forward reach movement while standing.
Takayuki Suzuki, Hiroyuki Hashidate, Mitsunobu Yatsunami
PMID 37915454WHAT IT FOUND
A cue to push the target away increased reach distance from 348.6 mm to 379.7 mm in healthy young men.
A cue to bend forward without pulling hips back reduced it to 295.2 mm.
Key findings
01A cue to push the target away produced a longer reach than no cue: 379.7 mm versus 348.6 mm.
02A cue to bend forward without pulling the hips back produced a shorter reach than no cue: 295.2 mm versus 348.6 mm.
03The change in reach distance moved with the forward tilt of the trunk against the feet in both cue conditions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
All participants were healthy young males, so the result does not show what happens in older adults or people with disease. The study measured only the immediate effect of one brief set of instructions, not whether repeated cueing improves function. Only 37 participants were tested, and they were not patients. The authors did not measure brain activity, so the proposed mechanism is not tested.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this proves that external cueing works for patients or improves function over time. The study tested only one immediate reach task in 37 healthy young men, and the internal cue was not compared with other possible internal cues.