Basic Body Awareness Therapy for Healthy Young Adults

Background:

Musculoskeletal pain, postural control impairments, and reduced movement quality are increasingly prevalent among young adults, partly due to sedentary lifestyles and low physical activity levels. Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) is a physiotherapy-based mind-body approach that aims to improve body awareness, postural stability, movement quality, and balance through controlled functional movements. Although BBAT has demonstrated beneficial effects in various clinical populations, evidence regarding its effectiveness in healthy young adults remains limited.

Objective:

This study aims to investigate the effects of a 12-week BBAT program on musculoskeletal pain, spinal mobility, balance, and flexibility in healthy young adults.

Methods:

This randomized controlled trial will be conducted at the Healthy Living Laboratory of the University of Health Sciences, Gülhane Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, between June 2026 and May 2027. Healthy individuals aged 18-40 years will be recruited through social media announcements and voluntary participation. Participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a control group.

The intervention group will participate in BBAT sessions once weekly for 12 weeks, with each session lasting 45-60 minutes. The control group will receive no intervention during the study period. Inclusion criteria include being 18-40 years old, not having participated in structured body-awareness-based programs (e.g., BBAT, yoga, or Pilates) within the previous six months, and being able to complete the assessment procedures independently. Individuals with neurological, vestibular, rheumatological, or severe orthopedic disorders, recent surgery or injury affecting the spine or lower extremities, pregnancy, acute infection, or medications affecting balance will be excluded.

Spinal mobility and flexibility will be the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes will include musculoskeletal pain and balance. Assessments will be performed before and after the intervention period.

Sample size estimation was conducted using G*Power 3.1 based on a medium effect size (f = 0.25), α = 0.05, power = 80%, two groups, and two measurement points. The minimum required sample size was calculated as 36 participants. Considering a potential dropout rate of 15-20%, at least 40 participants (20 per group) will be recruited.

Hypotheses:

Compared with the control group, participants receiving BBAT are expected to demonstrate significantly greater improvements in (1) spinal mobility , (2) flexibility , (3)musculoskeletal pain, and (4) balance outcomes.

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18 and 40 years.
• Ability to walk independently without assistive devices.
• No participation in structured body-awareness-based exercise programs (e.g., Basic Body Awareness Therapy, yoga, or Pilates) within the previous 6 months.
• Ability to understand study procedures and comply with assessment protocols.
• Willingness to participate and provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• History of neurological, vestibular, rheumatologic, or severe orthopedic disorders that may affect movement, balance, or mobility.
• History of spinal or lower-extremity surgery or musculoskeletal injury within the previous 6 months.
• Severe musculoskeletal pain limiting participation in assessments or intervention sessions.
• Pregnancy.
• Current use of medications known to affect balance, postural control, or motor performance.
• Presence of acute infection or other acute medical conditions at the time of enrollment.