Can mental practice increase ankle dorsiflexor torque?
OBJECTIVE
Mental practice has been shown to be effective in increasing the force production of the abductor digiti minimi muscle in the hand. The aim of this study was to determine whether mental practice could produce strength gains in the larger ankle dorsiflexor muscles, which are important during walking.


METHODS
Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to a physical practice group, a mental practice group, or a control group (8 subjects per group).


METHODS
In the practice groups, subjects either physically or mentally practiced producing maximal isometric contractions for 3 sets of 10 repetitions, 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Changes in mean peak isometric torque normalized to body weight and the resulting percentage of improvement were analyzed across the 3 groups.


RESULTS
Differences in raw torque production after training in the 2 practice groups resulted in significant percentages of improvement for the physical practice group (25.28%) and the mental practice group (17.13%), but not for the control group (-1.77%). The 2 practice groups were not statistically different in their maximal torque-generating capacity after training.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings show that mental practice in people without impairments can lead to an increase in torque production similar to that produced by physical practice. Such a technique may prove to be a useful adjunct to traditional treatment options aimed at increasing muscle strength.
Sidaway
Ben
B
Department of Physical Therapy, Husson College, One College Circle, Bangor, ME 04401, USA. sidawayb@husson.edu
Trzaska
Amy Robinson
AR
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000842:Ankle / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000592:standards*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013997:Time Factors; D019415:Torque