The effects of focus of attention on sit to stand
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effects of internal and external focus of attention on the ability of stroke patients to move from sit to stand: a feasibility study. definitions: Internal Focus of Attention; directing patient’s attention to what their bodies are doing, ‘straighten your knees and tuck your bottom in’ Externally focused; directing attention to the surrounding environment (for example ‘look up at the clock’).
IRAS ID
230126
Contact name
Sally Louise Weston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampon
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NA, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 10 days
Research summary
The benefits of different types of instruction on sit to stand performance following stroke.
In the UK, over 100,000 people a year experience a stroke. For many patients, rehabilitation will include activities to help the person to re-learn how to stand and walk. Previous research has shown that a therapist's verbal instructions can influence this re-learning process. Specifically, instructions that draw the person's attention to the environment (external focus) are more effective than those that draw attention to their body (internal focus). Learning to move from sitting to standing is a key part of stroke rehabilitation, yet no research exists examining the effect of different instructions in relearning this skill.
This study will compare internal and external focus instructions, and their impact on a person's ability to perform the sit to stand task. It is a feasibility study, meaning that we are looking at the best way to investigate this in a research trial.
We aim to recruit 24 people from an acute stroke unit. Participants must have enough understanding to agree to take part. They must also have weakness down one side of their body, and have a goal of being able to move from sitting to standing. They will be assigned to either an internal focus or explicit focus group, which will be chosen at random.
Each participant will be involved in the study for 3 days. They will practice exercises with a therapist, whilst receiving either internal or external focus instructions. Assessments for quality and speed of sit to stand will be performed before, directly after and 24 hours after the therapy session.
This study will inform a larger study which will help us to understand the best way for therapists give instructions during the rehabilitation of stroke patients.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0679
Date of REC Opinion
9 Apr 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion