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Effects of mental practice on balance in elderly women
Fansler CL, Poff CL, Shepard KF
Physical Therapy 1985 Sep;65(9):1332-1338
clinical trial
5/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: No; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: Yes; Adequate follow-up: Yes; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

This experimental field study examined the potential usefulness of mental practice for improving physical performance in health care. Ideokinetic facilitation, which involves the use of idealized visual and kinesthetic mental images, was used as mental practice. Thirty-six women over the age of 70 were assigned to one of three intervention groups: group A, nonsense; group B, relaxation; or group C, ideokinetic facilitation. Baseline and final measures of one-legged balance time were compared after a three-day intervention period. Results showed significant improvement between baseline and final measures within group C only (t = 2.64, p <= 0.05). The improvement in group C, however, was not significantly more than the improvement in groups A and B. This study suggests that mental practice of a physical task can improve performance and may be of use to the physical therapy clinician.

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