Effects of Different Conditions in Foot Somatosensory Training on Plantar Somatosensory Function

UMIN ID: UMIN000056146

Registered date:13/11/2024

Basic Information

• Recruitment status: Complete: follow-up complete
• Health condition(s) or Problem(s) studied: Healthy young adults
• Date of first enrollment: 2024/08/11
• Target sample size: 33
• Countries of recruitment: Japan
• Study type: Interventional

Intervention(s)

Participants in the discrimination group performed a task involving barefoot placement of the sole on a multi-axial instability board while seated with eyes closed. A weight was randomly placed at one of four locations - front, back, left, or right - on the instability board, and the participants were asked to identify the weight's position. The foot used for the task was defined as the dominant leg, was identified as the leg used to kick the ball. For the first task, a 100 g weight was used, and participants were required to correctly identify its position in 10 consecutive trials to proceed to the second task, which involved a 75 g weight. If successful, they moved on to the third task using a 50 g weight. The task was concluded if 10 consecutive correct responses were achieved in the final stage. Feedback during the task was given as follows: correct answers received verbal confirmation, while incorrect answers prompted the participant to pause the task and open their eyes to visually confirm the weight's position.
The attention group followed the same posture and experimental setup as the discrimination group but focused on timing rather than position. Participants were tasked with identifying the time when the weight was placed on the instability board and had to respond within approximately one second of placing the weight. Responses that were either too quick or slow were deemed incorrect. For the first task, a 100 g weight was used, and participants needed to achieve 10 consecutive correct responses to advance to the second task using a 75 g weight. If participants completed 10 consecutive correct responses in the second task, they progressed to the third task with a 50 g weight. The task was concluded once the participants correctly responded in ten consecutive trials in the final stage. Feedback during the task was provided as follows: if the response was correct, verbal confirmation was provided, and the task continued. For incorrect responses, the task was paused, and the participants received feedback on the accuracy of their timing judgment.
Control group participants maintained the same posture and experimental setup as other groups but watched a medical drama for 20 minutes. To ensure that the video content was unfamiliar, each participant confirmed that this was their first viewing of the video. Afterwards, they verbally recalled details about the characters and plot to confirm that they had actively engaged with the video. To standardize somatosensory input across the groups, a weight (one of the three types) was randomly placed on the multi-axial instability board every 30 seconds throughout the video session. This ensured that the foot sensory inputs of the control group matched those of the discrimination and attention groups.

Outcome(s)

• Primary Outcome: Tactile pressure sensitivity and two-point discrimination of the plantar surface

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

• Age minimum: 18years-old
• Age maximum: 22years-old
• Gender: Male and Female
• Exclude criteria: Exclusion criteria included any overt orthopedic disorders of the foot, history of neurological disorders, sensory impairment in the foot area, or foot pain.

Related Information

• Primary Sponsor: Faculty of Nursing and Rehabilitation Department, Physical Therapy, Chubu Gakuin University
• Source(s) of Monetary Support: Faculty of Nursing and Rehabilitation Department, Physical Therapy, Chubu Gakuin University