Impact of body image on the kinematics of gait initiation

Abstract

In our daily lives, we walk naturally because we can consider our physical characteristics and formulate appropriate motor plans. However, the impact of changes in body image during motor planning on walking movements remains poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, we investigated how walking movements change when body image is altered. We included 26 participants (13 males, 13 females, aged 18.27{+/-}0.52) to perform walking movements under five conditions: open eyes (baseline), closed eyes, closed eyes while imagining their bodies becoming large, closed eyes again, and open eyes again. As a result, under the condition where participants imagined their bodies becoming large, their stride length, step completion time, and foot lift height increased. These results are attributed to the disparity between actual body size and body image, which affects motor planning. The results of this study have potential applications in rehabilitation and sports coaching settings.