The Effect of Heel Skin Mechanoreceptors on Plantar Flexor Contraction Force

February 26, 2026 updated by: Berk Kutsal, Istanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital
Previous studies have shown that stimulation of heel skin mechanoreceptors facilitates the soleus H-reflex, whereas stimulation of metatarsal region mechanoreceptors inhibits the soleus H-reflex. From this perspective, plantar cutaneous receptors may play an important role in the regulation of activities such as walking and running, as well as in the control of spasticity in patients with upper motor neuron lesions. Investigating the effect of heel skin mechanoreceptors on plantar flexor muscle contraction force may provide valuable insight into the potential influence of these mechanoreceptors on locomotor activities and muscle tone, and may offer a foundation for future studies directly addressing these topics.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of heel skin mechanoreceptors on plantar flexor contraction force. The plantar flexor muscle strength of the participants was evaluated using a force sensor connected to a computer. For the isometric muscle strength measurement, the subjects were asked to perform maximal plantar flexion for 10 seconds. A 5-pulse stimulation package at 15% contraction level was delivered 10 times with a 4-6 second interval. The measurements were repeated 10 times with a 30-second interval. During the plantar flexion muscle strength measurement, the heel skin mechanoreceptors were stimulated at sensory threshold by a square wave electrical current with a pulse duration of 1 microsecond.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

29

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34180
        • Istanbul Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being healthy
  • Being between 20 and 40 years of age
  • Being female or male
  • Volunteering to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a history of orthopedic conditions-particularly in the lower extremity-or residual neuromusculoskeletal problems due to previously experienced illnesses

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Prone position
Plantar flexor muscle strength is assessed in the supine position. For the measurement of isometric muscle strength, participants lay prone on an examination table and were instructed to perform maximal plantar flexion for 10 seconds. To achieve a submaximal contraction corresponding to 15% of their maximal voluntary contraction, participants were asked to follow a 15% threshold reference line displayed on the force channel monitor.
Other: Assesment of Plantar Flexion Muscle Strength During Heel Skin Mechanoreceptor Stimulation

For the measurement of isometric muscle strength, participants lying prone on an examination table were instructed to perform maximal plantar flexion for 10 seconds. To achieve a submaximal contraction corresponding to 15% of their maximal contraction force, they were asked to follow the 15% threshold reference line displayed on the force channel on the screen.

During the measurement of plantar flexion muscle strength, the cutaneous mechanoreceptors of the heel were stimulated with a square-wave electrical current with a pulse duration of 1 microsecond, at an intensity three times the sensory threshold. Electrical stimulation was delivered via a constant-current stimulator (Digitimer DS7A, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom). At the 15% contraction level, a train of five stimuli was delivered 10 times at intervals of 4-6 seconds. Measurements were repeated 10 times with 30-second intervals between each set.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Voluntary Contraction Force
Time Frame: Day 1 (During a single experimental session)
While the participants were lying prone on the examination table, plantar flexion muscle strength was assessed using a computer-connected force sensor (SPIKE 2.7). For detailed analysis of the participant data using the SPIKE 2.7 force sensor software, an IIR digital filtering process was first applied to the force channel. During this procedure, a low-pass filter was selected. The filter settings were configured with a cutoff value of 100 and an order of 2. As a result of this filtering process, the newly generated filtered memory channel was labeled "ForceLP." Subsequently, the waveform average of the ForceLP channel was calculated with the following settings: width 4 s, offset 2 s, and trigger set to 6 stimuli (event+). From these averaged traces peak contraction force was determined.
Day 1 (During a single experimental session)
Reflex Contraction Force
Time Frame: Day 1 (During a single experimental session)
While the participants were lying prone on the examination table, plantar flexion muscle strength was assessed using a computer-connected force sensor (SPIKE 2.7). For detailed analysis of the participant data using the SPIKE 2.7 force sensor software, an IIR digital filtering process was first applied to the force channel. During this procedure, a low-pass filter was selected. The filter settings were configured with a cutoff value of 100 and an order of 2. As a result of this filtering process, the newly generated filtered memory channel was labeled "ForceLP." Subsequently, the waveform average of the ForceLP channel was calculated with the following settings: width 4 s, offset 2 s, and trigger set to 6 stimuli (event+). From these averaged traces reflex contraction force was determined.
Day 1 (During a single experimental session)
Reflex Contraction Latency
Time Frame: Day 1 (During a single experimental session)
While the participants were lying prone on the examination table, plantar flexion muscle strength was assessed using a computer-connected force sensor (SPIKE 2.7). For detailed analysis of the participant data using the SPIKE 2.7 force sensor software, an IIR digital filtering process was first applied to the force channel. During this procedure, a low-pass filter was selected. The filter settings were configured with a cutoff value of 100 and an order of 2. As a result of this filtering process, the newly generated filtered memory channel was labeled "ForceLP." Subsequently, the waveform average of the ForceLP channel was calculated with the following settings: width 4 s, offset 2 s, and trigger set to 6 stimuli (event+). From these averaged traces reflex contraction latency was determined.
Day 1 (During a single experimental session)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Istanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 23, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

February 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025-58

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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