Foot OrthosesNCT06318910
Customized Foot Orthoses on Muscle Activity During Standing and Gait in Plantar Heel Pain
A study testing orthotic wedge and CFO in people with Foot Orthoses and Fasciitis, Plantar, run by Mahidol University at 1 site in Thailand.
Trial summary
The present study will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of customized foot orthosis (CFO) for the treatment of patients with PHP. Three treatment groups including the CFO without wedge, the CFO with wedge type 1 (W1), and the CFO with wedge type 2 (W2) will be randomly assigned to… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Foot Orthoses, Fasciitis, Plantar
- What is being tested?
- orthotic wedge and CFO
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 75 participants
- Where
- 1 siteThailand
- Study dates
- 1 Apr 2024to 31 Dec 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Reaching the specific criteria of PHP including
- A complaint of tenderness from the palpation of the medial calcaneal tubercle and the medial aspect of the proximal portion of the plantar fascia, or pain along the plantar fascia at medial longitudinal arch side
- The presence of heel pain immediately during the first few steps of walking in the morning or after a prolonged period of inactivity; and gradually decreased throughout the day with ordinary walking, and worsened with prolonged activity
- Having the symptom of heel pain for at least 6 weeks, indicates the chronic condition
- Having the maximum level of pain intensity during last week using the visual analog scale (VAS) at least 3 out of a full 10 scores
Who cannot join
- Having positive sciatica test, indicating the L5-S1 nerve root irritation
- Having a history of lower extremity fracture
- Having a history of lower extremity surgery
- Having been diagnosed with gout, diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cancer, infectious disease, and tumor
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Thailand1 site
Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University
Bangkok, Changwat Nakhon Pathom, 73170
About this study
Official title: Effects of Customized Foot Orthoses With Orthotic Wedges on Lower-extremity Muscle Activity During Standing and Gait in the Patients With Plantar Heel Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The present study will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of customized foot orthosis (CFO) for the treatment of patients with PHP. Three treatment groups including the CFO without wedge, the CFO with wedge type 1 (W1), and the CFO with wedge type 2 (W2) will be randomly assigned to each participant by a computer-generated randomization. The opaque-sealed envelopes will be used to allocate the groups of participant.
Read the detailed description
Participants will be allocated to the control (CFO without wedge) or experimental (CFO with W1 or W2) groups according to the seal-envelop randomization technique. Then, they will be assessed all outcomes for the baseline including pain intensity, foot function, lower-extremity muscle activity during gait and standing by the 2nd physical therapist. And the participants will receive the assigned treatment by the 1st physical therapist.
All participants will be asked to use the CFO in daily life during weight-bearing activities, and logbook, chat LINE, or phone call will be used to monitor the participants during the treatment program. They will be asked about activity they done in daily and a number of hour they used CFO per day in diary book. At least 4 hours per day of wearing CFO will be required to each participant. After 3 months of the CFO use, all outcomes will be re-assessed by the 2nd physical therapist. And such outcomes will be then statistically analyzed.
- Conditions
- Foot Orthoses, Fasciitis, Plantar
- Being tested
- orthotic wedge, CFO
- Medical subject headings
- Fasciitis, Plantar
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
orthotic wedgeDevice
The orthotic wedges with a full length of 3-mm soft foam layer will be provided to each participant under the molded orthoses; the amount of wedge angle will depend on the rearfoot and forefoot angles of the participants. The present study developed 3-degree, 6-degree, and 8-degree wedges for the rearfoot and forefoot. It was made from solid rubber with a cover of thin fabric. There are three sizes for these products which include small (S), medium (M), and large (L) sizes, according to the foot length of participants.
CFODevice
The 3-quarter-length CFO will be made from thermoplastic material (rigid foot orthoses) which consists of four layers i.e. two layers of 0.5-mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one layer of 1.5-mm thick fiber to increase strength of foot orthoses in the bottom layers as well as one layer of 1.2-mm genuine leather in the upper layer to increase comfort. It incorporates a heat-molding process to adjust individual foot shape in prone position. The materials will be set within approximately three minutes.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| CFO with W1 | Experimental | The therapists will propose the orthotic wedges after examining the foot angles following the foot assessment from the study of Root, the forefoot angle will be determined for both the forefoot and rearfoot wedges. Previous studies recommended the posting at 60% of the measured forefoot angle, up to a maximum of 8 degrees, for extrinsic forefoot varus wedge and the posting at 50% of the measured forefoot angle, up to a maximum of 6 degrees, for extrinsic rearfoot varus wedge. After the posting, all participants will be asked to test the provided foot orthoses within their footwear. If any disturbance has been found during testing, the adjustment will be performed. Receives: Device: orthotic wedge; Device: CFO |
| CFO with W2 | Experimental | The therapists will propose the orthotic wedges after examining the foot angles following the foot assessment from the study of Monaghan et al., the forefoot will be posted at 50% of the measured forefoot angle, and the rearfoot will be posted at 20% of the measured rearfoot angle. After the posting, all participants will be asked to test the provided foot orthoses within their footwear. If any disturbance has been found during testing, the adjustment will be performed. Receives: Device: orthotic wedge; Device: CFO |
| CFO without wedge | Active comparator | The 3-quarter-length CFO will be made from thermoplastic material (rigid foot orthoses) which consists of four layers i.e. two layers of 0.5-mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one layer of 1.5-mm thick fiber to increase strength of foot orthoses in the bottom layers as well as one layer of 1.2-mm genuine leather in the upper layer to increase comfort. It incorporates a heat-molding process to adjust individual foot shape in prone position. The materials will be set within approximately three minutes. Receives: Device: CFO |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain intensity and foot function
Pain intensity during the last week will be assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) which is the high-reliability measurement (ICC = 0.88). The highest pain level is 10 and the lowest pain level is 0. In addition, the foot function will be assessed by the 23-item foot function index (FFI). The present study will use the Thai version of FFI that has been translated forward and backward from the English version. The previous study showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.98) and high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.86). It is appropriate to use among patients with PHP.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months
EMG of lower leg muscles
A Trigno Wireless EMG system at 2000 Hz (Delsys Inc., Boston, MA) will be used to collect the EMG data from Tibialis anterior, Peroneus longus, Medial gastrocnemius, Biceps femoris, and Rectus femoris in both legs. The skin will be cleaned with alcohol wipes and the standard EMG electrodes will be positioned following the SENIAM guidelines. Raw EMG data will be exported to Visual3D (C-Motion Inc., Germantown, USA). The dependent variables for the peak and integrated EMG (iEMG) values from such muscles will be found. Then, the data will be normalized to the maximal observed signal during the dynamic contraction during the movement tasks. The participants will be asked to stand with both legs on the firm and foam surface in two conditions i.e. eye closed and eye open, for 20 s in each condition. And then, they will be asked to walk at a self-selected speed to the other end of the 3-m pressure distribution platform.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Mar 2024
- Study start1 Apr 2024
- Primary completion30 Nov 2024
- Study completion31 Dec 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Foot OrthosesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Mahidol UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- The present study will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of CFO for the treatment of patients with PHP. Three treatment groups including the CFO without wedge, the CFO with W1, and the CFO with W2 will be randomly assigned to each participant by a computer-generated randomization. The opaque-sealed envelopes will be used to allocate the groups of participant.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 75 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Mahidol University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06318910
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MU-SRF-RS-27 C/66
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Mar 2024
- Last updated
- 20 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Customized Foot Orthoses With Orthotic Wedges on Lower-extremity Muscle Activity During Standing and Gait in the Patients With Plantar Heel Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06318910
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MU-SRF-RS-27 C/66
- Conditions
- Foot Orthoses, Fasciitis, Plantar
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 75 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Mahidol UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The present study will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of customized foot orthosis (CFO) for the treatment of patients with PHP. Three treatment groups including the CFO without wedge, the CFO with wedge type 1 (W1), and the CFO with wedge type 2 (W2) will be randomly assigned to each participant by a computer-generated randomization. The opaque-sealed envelopes will be used to allocate the groups of participant.
Detailed description
Participants will be allocated to the control (CFO without wedge) or experimental (CFO with W1 or W2) groups according to the seal-envelop randomization technique. Then, they will be assessed all outcomes for the baseline including pain intensity, foot function, lower-extremity muscle activity during gait and standing by the 2nd physical therapist. And the participants will receive the assigned treatment by the 1st physical therapist.
All participants will be asked to use the CFO in daily life during weight-bearing activities, and logbook, chat LINE, or phone call will be used to monitor the participants during the treatment program. They will be asked about activity they done in daily and a number of hour they used CFO per day in diary book. At least 4 hours per day of wearing CFO will be required to each participant. After 3 months of the CFO use, all outcomes will be re-assessed by the 2nd physical therapist. And such outcomes will be then statistically analyzed.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- The present study will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of CFO for the treatment of patients with PHP. Three treatment groups including the CFO without wedge, the CFO with W1, and the CFO with W2 will be randomly assigned to each participant by a computer-generated randomization. The opaque-sealed envelopes will be used to allocate the groups of participant.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| CFO with W1 | Experimental | Device: orthotic wedge, Device: CFOThe therapists will propose the orthotic wedges after examining the foot angles following the foot assessment from the study of Root, the forefoot angle will be determined for both the forefoot and rearfoot wedges. Previous studies recommended the posting at 60% of the measured forefoot angle, up to a maximum of 8 degrees, for extrinsic forefoot varus wedge and the posting at 50% of the measured forefoot angle, up to a maximum of 6 degrees, for extrinsic rearfoot varus wedge. After the posting, all participants will be asked to test the provided foot orthoses within their footwear. If any disturbance has been found during testing, the adjustment will be performed. |
| CFO with W2 | Experimental | Device: orthotic wedge, Device: CFOThe therapists will propose the orthotic wedges after examining the foot angles following the foot assessment from the study of Monaghan et al., the forefoot will be posted at 50% of the measured forefoot angle, and the rearfoot will be posted at 20% of the measured rearfoot angle. After the posting, all participants will be asked to test the provided foot orthoses within their footwear. If any disturbance has been found during testing, the adjustment will be performed. |
| CFO without wedge | Active comparator | Device: CFOThe 3-quarter-length CFO will be made from thermoplastic material (rigid foot orthoses) which consists of four layers i.e. two layers of 0.5-mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one layer of 1.5-mm thick fiber to increase strength of foot orthoses in the bottom layers as well as one layer of 1.2-mm genuine leather in the upper layer to increase comfort. It incorporates a heat-molding process to adjust individual foot shape in prone position. The materials will be set within approximately three minutes. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Reaching the specific criteria of PHP including
- Having the symptom of heel pain for at least 6 weeks, indicates the chronic condition
- Having the maximum level of pain intensity during last week using the visual analog scale (VAS) at least 3 out of a full 10 scores
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Having positive sciatica test, indicating the L5-S1 nerve root irritation
- Having a history of lower extremity fracture
- Having a history of lower extremity surgery
- Having been diagnosed with gout, diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cancer, infectious disease, and tumor
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| orthotic wedgeThe orthotic wedges with a full length of 3-mm soft foam layer will be provided to each participant under the molded orthoses; the amount of wedge angle will depend on the rearfoot and forefoot angles of the participants. The present study developed 3-degree, 6-degree, and 8-degree wedges for the rearfoot and forefoot. It was made from solid rubber with a cover of thin fabric. There are three sizes for these products which include small (S), medium (M), and large (L) sizes, according to the foot length of participants. | Device | CFO with W1, CFO with W2 |
| CFOThe 3-quarter-length CFO will be made from thermoplastic material (rigid foot orthoses) which consists of four layers i.e. two layers of 0.5-mm polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one layer of 1.5-mm thick fiber to increase strength of foot orthoses in the bottom layers as well as one layer of 1.2-mm genuine leather in the upper layer to increase comfort. It incorporates a heat-molding process to adjust individual foot shape in prone position. The materials will be set within approximately three minutes. | Device | CFO with W1, CFO with W2, CFO without wedge |
Primary outcome
Pain intensity and foot function
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months
Pain intensity during the last week will be assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) which is the high-reliability measurement (ICC = 0.88). The highest pain level is 10 and the lowest pain level is 0. In addition, the foot function will be assessed by the 23-item foot function index (FFI). The present study will use the Thai version of FFI that has been translated forward and backward from the English version. The previous study showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.98) and high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.86). It is appropriate to use among patients with PHP.
EMG of lower leg muscles
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months
A Trigno Wireless EMG system at 2000 Hz (Delsys Inc., Boston, MA) will be used to collect the EMG data from Tibialis anterior, Peroneus longus, Medial gastrocnemius, Biceps femoris, and Rectus femoris in both legs. The skin will be cleaned with alcohol wipes and the standard EMG electrodes will be positioned following the SENIAM guidelines. Raw EMG data will be exported to Visual3D (C-Motion Inc., Germantown, USA). The dependent variables for the peak and integrated EMG (iEMG) values from such muscles will be found. Then, the data will be normalized to the maximal observed signal during the dynamic contraction during the movement tasks. The participants will be asked to stand with both legs on the firm and foam surface in two conditions i.e. eye closed and eye open, for 20 s in each condition. And then, they will be asked to walk at a self-selected speed to the other end of the 3-m pressure distribution platform.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Jul 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing orthotic wedge and CFO in people with Foot Orthoses and Fasciitis, Plantar, run by Mahidol University at 1 site in Thailand.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Thailand. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain intensity and foot function (time frame: Baseline, 3 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Jul 2026.