Relationship between locomotive syndrome development and motor imagery ability in children

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between locomotive syndrome (LS) development and motor imagery (MI) ability in children. The study included 212 children of elementary school age. We used a motor organ dysfunction checklist for LS testing and a mental rotation (MR) task to measure MI capacity. Based on the results of the LS assessment, the subjects were placed in either the LS-positive (38 subjects) or LSnegative (174 subjects) group. The number of males was significantly more in the LSpositive group than in the LS-negative group. Additionally, the average age, height,weight, and Laurelʼs index were higher and the inverse efficiency score (IES) during the MR task was lesser in the LS-positive group than in the LS-negative group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for gender, age, and body size, the IES obtained during the MR task was a significant explanatory variable for LS assessment. These results indicate that MI ability is a factor affecting LS development in children.