Flat FeetNCT07140861
Effect of Core Stability Exercises in Individuals With Bilateral Flexible Flat Foot
A study testing Conventional and Experimental in people with Flat Feet, run by Cairo University at 2 sites in Egypt.
Trial summary
There is a gap of literature about the role of core stability exercises on management of flexible flatfoot, as a result this study will take a deeper look on the effect of core stability exercises on navicular height, Arch height index, balance and disability function of ankle joint in individuals with bilateral… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Flat Feet
- What is being tested?
- Conventional and Experimental
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesEgypt
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to 1 May 2026
- 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 40 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- 40 Participants of both genders with bilateral flexible flatfoot.
- Their age ranges from 18 to 39 years.
- All Participants with a navicular drop (ND) greater than 10 mm.
- Body mass index from 18.5-25 kg/m2
Who cannot join
- Traumatic condition of the lower limbs.
- History of Fracture of the lower limbs.
- previous orthopedic disorders or neurologic deficit of the lower limbs.
- Previous surgery of the lower limbs.
- Any sensory problems.
- Leg length discrepancy.
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- Neuromuscular disease like multiple scelerosis.
- Unilateral flexible flat foot.
- Rigid flat foot.
- Any lumbar spine problems
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
Egypt2 sites
Physical therapy College - Cairo university
Cairo
Physical Therapy faculty, Cairo University
Cairo
About this study
Official title: Effect of Core Stability Exercises on Medial Longitudinal Arch Height and Balance in Individuals With Bilateral Flexible Flat Foot
There is a gap of literature about the role of core stability exercises on management of flexible flatfoot, as a result this study will take a deeper look on the effect of core stability exercises on navicular height, Arch height index, balance and disability function of ankle joint in individuals with bilateral flexible flat foot.
Read the detailed description
It was proved that Individuals with flexible flat foot have reduced core stability. Thus, core stability must be assessed while treating individuals with flexible flat foot and interventions that address core stability must be included in the treatment of flexible flat foot . It was demonstrated that there was a poorer balance in individual with bilateral flexible flat foot. Therefore, it is recommended to add balance training exercises to traditional physical therapy program in cases of flatfoot patients .
40 Participants of both genders with bilateral flexible flatfoot. will be assigned randomly into 2 equal groups: Group A (control group): will receive conventional therapy. Group B (Experimental group): will receive core training protocol and conventional therapy. Subjects will receive 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks.
Outcome measures:
- Navicular height: will be evaluated by navicular drop test.
- Medial longitudinal arch height: will be evaluated by Arch height index (AHI).
- Balance: will be evaluated by Biodex Balance System.
- Disability function of ankle joint: will be evaluated by Arabic version of foot function index scale.
- Conditions
- Flat Feet
- Being tested
- Conventional, Experimental
- Keywords
- core stability exercises, medial longitudinal arch height, balance, bilateral flexible flat foot
- Medical subject headings
- Flatfoot
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ConventionalOther
patients will receive conventional therapy that include
- Short foot exercises
- Towel-curl exercise
- Heel raise exercise
- Calf stretch
ExperimentalOther
Core stability exercises:
The training programs will last 6 weeks and comprise 3 training sessions per week. Each training session lasted 30 min, starting with a brief, standardized warm-up program mainly consisting of low-intensity core strength exercises to prepare the neuromuscular system for the training loads and ending with a cool-down program (i.e., dynamic stretching). During the main part of training, research group will conduct the "big 3" exercises as described by McGill (Mcgill, 2001). These include the curl-up, side bridge, and quadruped position. In other words, every single training session consisted of frontal, dorsal, and lateral core exercises. Training intensity will be progressed and individually increased over the 6-week training program by modulating lever lengths, movement velocity
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | Control group will receive conventional treatment Receives: Other: Conventional |
| Study group | Experimental | Study group: will receive core training protocol and conventional therapy. Receives: Other: Conventional; Other: Experimental |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Navicular height
Measured: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Balance
Dynamic balance will be assessed by Biodex system
Measured: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Secondary outcomes (2)
Medial longitudinal arch height
Measured: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Function of ankle joint
Function of ankle joint will be assessed by Arabic version of foot function index scale.
Measured: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Aug 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completion1 Apr 2026
- Study completion1 May 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Flat FeetStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo 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
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Doaa Rafat, Cairo University
- Investigators
- Magda Gaid Professor of physical therapy - Cairo University, Study director, Department of Basic sciences for physical therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy , Cairo university, Cairo, EgyptAhmed Abdou, Assistant lecturer, Principal investigator, Department of Basic sciences for physical therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy , Cairo university, Cairo, Egypt
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07140861
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Physical Therapy 52043
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 14 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Core Stability Exercises on Medial Longitudinal Arch Height and Balance in Individuals With Bilateral Flexible Flat Foot
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07140861
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Physical Therapy 52043
- Conditions
- Flat Feet
- Keywords
- core stability exercises, medial longitudinal arch height, balance, bilateral flexible flat foot
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 May 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Aug 2025 (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.
There is a gap of literature about the role of core stability exercises on management of flexible flatfoot, as a result this study will take a deeper look on the effect of core stability exercises on navicular height, Arch height index, balance and disability function of ankle joint in individuals with bilateral flexible flat foot.
Detailed description
It was proved that Individuals with flexible flat foot have reduced core stability. Thus, core stability must be assessed while treating individuals with flexible flat foot and interventions that address core stability must be included in the treatment of flexible flat foot . It was demonstrated that there was a poorer balance in individual with bilateral flexible flat foot. Therefore, it is recommended to add balance training exercises to traditional physical therapy program in cases of flatfoot patients .
40 Participants of both genders with bilateral flexible flatfoot. will be assigned randomly into 2 equal groups: Group A (control group): will receive conventional therapy. Group B (Experimental group): will receive core training protocol and conventional therapy. Subjects will receive 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks.
Outcome measures:
- Navicular height: will be evaluated by navicular drop test.
- Medial longitudinal arch height: will be evaluated by Arch height index (AHI).
- Balance: will be evaluated by Biodex Balance System.
- Disability function of ankle joint: will be evaluated by Arabic version of foot function index scale.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control group | Active comparator | Other: ConventionalControl group will receive conventional treatment |
| Study group | Experimental | Other: Conventional, Other: ExperimentalStudy group: will receive core training protocol and conventional therapy. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 40 Participants of both genders with bilateral flexible flatfoot.
- Their age ranges from 18 to 39 years.
- All Participants with a navicular drop (ND) greater than 10 mm.
- Body mass index from 18.5-25 kg/m2
Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Traumatic condition of the lower limbs.
- History of Fracture of the lower limbs.
- previous orthopedic disorders or neurologic deficit of the lower limbs.
- Previous surgery of the lower limbs.
- Any sensory problems.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Conventionalpatients will receive conventional therapy that include 1. Short foot exercises 2. Towel-curl exercise 3. Heel raise exercise 4. Calf stretch | Other | Control group, Study group |
| ExperimentalCore stability exercises: The training programs will last 6 weeks and comprise 3 training sessions per week. Each training session lasted 30 min, starting with a brief, standardized warm-up program mainly consisting of low-intensity core strength exercises to prepare the neuromuscular system for the training loads and ending with a cool-down program (i.e., dynamic stretching). During the main part of training, research group will conduct the "big 3" exercises as described by McGill (Mcgill, 2001). These include the curl-up, side bridge, and quadruped position. In other words, every single training session consisted of frontal, dorsal, and lateral core exercises. Training intensity will be progressed and individually increased over the 6-week training program by modulating lever lengths, movement velocity | Other | Study group |
Primary outcome
Navicular height
Time frame: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Balance
Time frame: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Dynamic balance will be assessed by Biodex system
2 secondary outcomes
Medial longitudinal arch height
Time frame: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
Function of ankle joint
Time frame: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment
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 14 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Magda Gaid Professor of physical therapy - Cairo University study director
Department of Basic sciences for physical therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy , Cairo university, Cairo, Egypt
Ahmed Abdou, Assistant lecturer principal investigator
Department of Basic sciences for physical therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy , Cairo university, Cairo, Egypt
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Conventional and Experimental in people with Flat Feet, run by Cairo University at 2 sites in Egypt.
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 4 inclusion and 10 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 14 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 2 sites in Egypt. 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?
Navicular height (time frame: at enrollment and at the end of 6 weeks of treatment). 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 14 Jul 2026.