Effects of Basic Body Awareness Therapy on Gait and Plantar Pressure in Healthy Young Adults

Effects of Basic Body Awareness Therapy on Spatiotemporal Gait Characteristics and Plantar Pressure Distribution in Healthy Young Adults

This interventional study will evaluate the effects of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) on gait and plantar pressure outcomes in healthy young adults. Participants aged 18 to 25 years will receive a 12-week BBAT program delivered twice weekly by a physiotherapist trained in BBAT. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. The primary aim is to determine changes in gait speed and other spatiotemporal gait parameters during the 10-meter walk test. Secondary aims are to examine changes in static and dynamic plantar load distribution, right-left load sharing, and regional plantar pressure parameters. The study hypothesizes that BBAT will improve gait speed, reduce right-left differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters, improve bilateral load distribution during static stance and walking, and maintain these gains at 3-month follow-up.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Gait; Body Awareness
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Basic Body Awareness Therapy

Detailed Description

Gait is a functional task requiring integrated postural control, sensorimotor processing, muscle coordination, and adaptation to the environment. Gait speed and related spatiotemporal parameters are sensitive indicators of functional status and movement capacity. Body awareness refers to the conscious perception and regulation of posture, movement quality, proprioceptive input, and interoceptive sensations. Basic Body Awareness Therapy is a physiotherapy-based mind-body approach that focuses on posture, balance, coordination, breathing, weight transfer, trunk control, and movement quality.

This study is designed as a single-group, quasi-experimental interventional study with repeated assessments. After completion of the informed consent process, demographic and health-related data will be collected. Gait and static stance measurements will be performed using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles. For static stance, participants will stand comfortably on both feet for one minute while plantar load distribution and right-left weight sharing are recorded. Participants will then complete the 10-meter walk test at maximum walking speed. Plantar loading data, including pressure distribution, step length, step time, stance and swing phases, and regional plantar pressure variables, will be processed using MyoResearch 3.16 software. The gait cycle will be normalized to 100%, divided into stance and swing phases, and plantar regions will be analyzed as heel, arch/midfoot, metatarsal, and toe segments.

The BBAT intervention will be delivered for 12 weeks, twice per week, with each session lasting approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Sessions will be supervised by a physiotherapist who has completed BBAT Level C training. The program will consist of low-intensity exercises focusing on awareness of contact with the floor, postural alignment, breathing and movement integration, weight transfer, trunk control, balance, and fluent movement quality. Therapy adherence will be monitored using attendance records, and adherence will be defined as participation in at least 80% of planned sessions. Measurements will be repeated after the 12-week intervention and 3 months after intervention completion to assess short-term effects and early maintenance of behavioral change.

The sample size was determined using G*Power 3.1 software. Considering the single-group design with three repeated measurements (pre-test, post-test at week 12, and 3-month follow-up), the parameters were set as a medium effect size of f = 0.25, an alpha error probability of 0.05, a power (1-β) of 0.80, a correlation among repeated measures of 0.50, and a non-sphericity correction ε = 1.00. Based on these parameters, the required sample size was calculated as 28 participants. Considering a possible dropout/follow-up loss rate of approximately 15%, the target sample size was determined as 33 participants.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 33
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Özge ÇANKAYA, PhD; Phone Number: +905053732255; Email: ozgemuezzinoglu@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06100
    • University of Health Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 to 25 years
• Able to walk independently
• No history of lower-extremity, spine, or balance-affecting trauma and/or surgery within the last 6 months
• Not receiving regular Basic Body Awareness Therapy
• Provides written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of neurological, vestibular, or rheumatological disease
• Acute musculoskeletal injury
• Serious visual or hearing impairment
• Pain, deformity, or assistive device use that may affect walking performance
• Participation in a physiotherapy program and/or regular exercise program within the last 6 months
• Any condition preventing regular participation in assessment or therapy sessions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Basic Body Awareness Therapy-BBAT Group; Participants will receive a 12-week BBAT program, two sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 45-60 minutes. Sessions will be supervised by a physiotherapist trained in BBAT.	Other: Basic Body Awareness Therapy; The Basic Body Awareness Therapy program includes low-intensity physiotherapy exercises focused on awareness of contact with the floor, postural alignment, breathing-movement integration, weight transfer, trunk control, balance, and fluent movement quality.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Gait Speed	Gait speed will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles. Participants will be instructed to walk at maximum walking speed on a 10-meter walkway. The best test performance will be used for analysis. The metric will be recorded in meters/second.	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Cadence	Cadence will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Cadence will be recorded as the number of steps per minute. Unit of Measure: steps/min	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Step Length	Step length will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Step length will be recorded in meters. Unit of Measure: m	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Step Time	Step time will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Step time will be recorded in seconds. Unit of Measure: s	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Stride Time	Stride time will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Stride time will be recorded in seconds. Unit of Measure: s	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Stance Phase Duration	Stance phase duration will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Stance phase duration will be recorded as a percentage of the gait cycle. Unit of Measure: %	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Swing Phase Duration	Swing phase duration will be assessed during the 10-meter walk test using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles and processed using MyoResearch 3.16. Swing phase duration will be recorded as a percentage of the gait cycle. Unit of Measure: %	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Gait Asymmetry Index	The asymmetry index for gait-phase timing parameters will be calculated using the formula: AI = [(Right - Left) / ((Right + Left)/2)] × 100 The asymmetry index will be expressed as a percentage, with higher values indicating greater gait asymmetry. Unit of Measure: %	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Static Plantar Load Distribution	Static plantar load distribution will be assessed during one minute of comfortable bipedal standing using Noraxon Ultium instrumented insoles. Outcomes will include right-left load sharing and regional plantar pressure/load parameters.	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Change in Dynamic Plantar Pressure Distribution During Walking	Dynamic plantar pressure variables will be recorded during the 10-meter walk test. Plantar regions will be analyzed as heel, arch/midfoot, metatarsal, and toe segments. Variables will include regional pressure distribution and bilateral differences in plantar loading	Baseline, after 12 weeks of intervention, and 3 months after intervention completion.
Therapy Adherence	Attendance will be monitored using session attendance records. Therapy adherence will be defined as participation in at least 80% of planned BBAT sessions.	Throughout the 12-week intervention period.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hacettepe University
• Collaborators: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Özge ÇANKAYA, PhD, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi; Study Director: Nilufer Keskin Dilbay, PhD, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 29, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 4, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 3, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Gait Analysis; plantar pressure; Basic body awareness therapy; healthy young adult
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026/144

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No