Aspects of foot preference: differential relationships of skilled and unskilled foot movements with motor asymmetry.

In this research different aspects of foot preference were examined in 50 participants. The relationship between foot preference, hand preference, and hand/foot-tapping performance was analysed in detail. For foot preference, a practical behavioural test consisting of 14 daily foot movements was developed. After statistical analysis, five items were dropped. The test-retest reliabilities of the nine-item foot preference test and the foot-tapping task were found to be high. The factor analysis indicated a two-factor structure (skilled and unskilled foot movements). Foot preference in skilled and unskilled movements was correlated with hand preference and foot/hand-tapping speed. This correlation was found to be higher in skilled movements than in unskilled movements. Additionally, foot preference for skilled movements was strongly lateralised. The results indicate that the motor control of fine movements is similar for upper and lower limbs. The fact of lateralisation indicates that skilled and unskilled foot movements utilise different pathways. We propose that the asymmetrical lateral (corticospinal) pathway controls skilled movements while the medial pathways control unskilled movements. We therefore suggest that both skilled and unskilled foot tasks should be evaluated separately in order to assess foot preference.