Foot position tends to be sensed as more medial than the actual foot position

Participants placed different parts of their foot as close as possible to a target line without stepping onto it while wearing modified goggles that obscured their view of their feet. Once they felt that their foot was appropriately placed, the distance between their foot and the target line was measured. Participants tended to step 20-30 mm over the target line when asked to place the most lateral part of their foot near the target line and tended to place their foot 20-30 mm away from the target line when asked to place the most medial part of their foot near the target line. These results indicate that the placed feet shifted more laterally than sensed, which may explain unexpected tripping during walking.