Acute neuromuscular and kinematic responses to a single Feldenkrais awareness through movement session

The Feldenkrais Method aims to improve functional movement through exploratory coordination rather than performance-driven execution. While clinical studies have reported benefits in mobility and balance, the underlying neuromechanical mechanisms remain insufficiently characterized.

This study examined acute changes in voluntary range of motion (ROM), muscle activation, movement smoothness, and ventilatory-movement efficiency following a single Awareness Through Movement session in healthy adults (intervention: n = 44; control: n = 12) using three-dimensional motion capture, surface electromyography, and capnography.

The intervention group showed significant within-group increases in upper-body ROM, selective increases in muscle activation in trunk and neck muscles, a significant increase in forearm angle, and a reduction in VMEI following the session. None of these changes were observed in the control group. Time × Group analyses confirmed intervention-specific effects for shoulder ROM, forearm angle, and right sternocleidomastoid activation.

These findings suggest that short-term Feldenkrais-based exploratory practice produces coordinated changes in movement organization and neuromuscular activation that are not explained by repeated movement practice alone, with ROM changes consistent with altered intersegmental coordination rather than passive mechanical effects.