Effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation prior to walking on step time and trunk acceleration during the first five steps of walking initiation: a preliminary study in healthy adults

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate variations in step time and trunk acceleration during the first five steps of walking initiation when rhythmic auditory stimuli matched to a comfortable walking tempo, were provided before walking. [Participants and Methods] Seventeen healthy, right-foot dominant adults (10 males, 7 females; mean age 23.2 ± 4.9 years; mean height 165.3 ± 10.2 cm) without orthopedic or neurological abnormalities were enrolled in this study. The participants were instructed to perform 10 steps of indoor-level walking with rhythmic auditory stimulation in two tasks. In Task 1, participants began walking after hearing the 1st auditory stimulus, while in Task 2, they initiated walking after the 10th auditory stimulus. Step times; peak trunk acceleration values in the vertical, lateral, and forward/backward directions; and the coefficients of variation for these measures over the first five steps were compared between the two tasks. [Results] The step time during Task 2 was significantly longer than that during Task 1. The coefficients of variation for step time and lateral and forward trunk accelerations during Task 2 were significantly lower than those during Task 1. [Conclusion] This study found that the variability in step time and lateral and forward trunk accelerations during the five steps of walking initiation decreased when healthy participants listened to rhythmic auditory stimuli 10 times before walking.