Incorporating motor imagery into massage education in physiotherapy students.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of integrating motor imagery (MI) practice into traditional teaching methods on the motor imagery skills and motor learning performance of physiotherapy students. Methods: Twenty-four students were randomly assigned to two groups: the Motor Imagery Group (MIG; 21.15 ± 1.46 years) and the Control Group (CG; 21.91 ± 1.58 years). Both groups initially received traditional instruction on infantile colic massage. Following a familiarization session, the MIG additionally engaged in MI practice twice a week for two weeks. Outcome measures included the Motor Imagery Questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3) and mental chronometry tests. At the end of the intervention, qualitative feedback regarding the learning experience was also obtained from the MIG participants. Results: Baseline values did not differ significantly between groups (p > 0.05) except for the MIQ-3 Kinesthetic score (p = 0.003). Within-group analysis revealed a significant improvement in the MIG’s MIQ-3 Kinesthetic score from pre- to post-assessment (p = 0.003), while other parameters remained unchanged. Mental chronometry results showed a significant reduction in real-time performance duration in the MIG (p = 0.025). Qualitative findings indicated that most participants perceived MI as a useful and motivating strategy for enhancing self-learning and memory retention. Conclusion: Incorporating MI practice into traditional teaching improved students’ kinesthetic imagery ability and performance efficiency in learning infantile colic massage. MI may serve as an effective, low-cost, and student-centered pedagogical tool to support psychomotor skill acquisition in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education.