Comparing Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization With Positional Release Technique for Plantar Fasciitis Pain and Range of Motion

Chronic plantar fasciitis (CPF) is the most common cause of chronic heel pain in adults, affecting both young active patients and older, more sedentary individuals. It results from chronic overload of the plantar fascia. This overload may be due to overuse, as seen in runners and military personnel, or due to excessive loading in individuals with obesity (body mass index >30), sedentary lifestyles, or occupations that require prolonged standing.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Chronic Plantar Fasciitis; Heel Pain; Plantar Fascia Inflammation
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Positional release; Procedure: Exercises; Procedure: Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Port Said, Egypt
    • Faculty of Physical Therapy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Clinically diagnosed cases of plantar fasciitis not less than 3 months.
2. Heel pain felt maximally over plantar aspect of heel.
3. Pain in the heel on the first step in the morning.
4. Their age ranging from 30 to 50 years

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Subjects can't tolerate close physical contact (Kotwalkar et al., 2019).
2. Athletes.
3. Subjects with skin infections (Kotwalkar et al., 2019).
4. Subjects with recent fracture with incomplete bony union (Rowlett et al., 2018).
5. Subjects with acute inflammatory or infectious process (Rowlett et al., 2018).
6. Subjects with hematoma (Rowlett et al., 2018).
7. Subjects with osteoporosis (Looney et al., 2011).
8. Subjects with foot deformity (Kotwalkar et al., 2019).
9. Subjects that take medications that may increase blood clotting (Kotwalkar et al., 2019).
10. Surgery to the ankle or foot (Looney et al., 2011).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Positional release technique; Positional release technique in addition to exercises in form of stretching exercises for plantar fascia, gastrocnemius, soleus muscles, and short foot exercise (study group) The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.	Procedure: Positional release; The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.
Experimental: Traditional exercises (control group); Traditional exercises (control group), traditional exercises in form of stretching exercises for plantar fascia, gastrocnemius, soleus muscles, and short foot exercise The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.	Procedure: Exercises; The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.
Experimental: Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization in addition to exercises (study group) in form of stretching exercises for plantar fascia, gastrocnemius, soleus muscles, and short foot exercise	Procedure: Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain intensity level assessed by Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)	Pain intensity level assessed by Numeric Pain Rating Scale. A scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.	Baseline and after 8 sessions (approximately 4 weeks)
Range of motion	A digital goniometer is used for the assessment of ankle dorsiflexion, plantar flexion range of motion, and knee flexion range of motion.	Baseline and after 8 sessions (approximately 4 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Doaa Said Mohamed Ibrahim

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Neufeld SK, Cerrato R. Plantar fasciitis: evaluation and treatment. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2008 Jun;16(6):338-46. doi: 10.5435/00124635-200806000-00006.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 22, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 22, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 5, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): July 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 17, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization; Chronic plantar fasciitis; Positional release technique
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Foot Diseases; Inflammation; Fasciitis; Fasciitis, Plantar
• Other Study ID Numbers: No:P.T.REC/012/005492

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to privacy concerns and limitations in data-sharing agreements.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No