Acupuncture for Heel Pain Syndrome: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical Research on Acupuncture at the Heel Pain Point for the Treatment of Heel Pain Syndrome

The main goal of this study is to determine if a specific acupuncture technique-targeting a "heel pain point" located on the hand-is an effective and safe way to treat heel pain. Specifically, the researchers want to:

Measure Pain Relief: Evaluate how effectively the treatment reduces pain levels.

Check Physical Function: Determine if the treatment helps patients walk and move more comfortably.

Ensure Safety: Track any side effects or adverse reactions to confirm the treatment is safe for patients.

Target Population

The study is looking for participants who meet the following criteria:

Age: Adults between 40 and 70 years old. Diagnosis: Individuals diagnosed with heel pain (plantar fasciitis). Duration: People who have had the pain for less than two months and have not recently received other related treatments.

Typical Symptoms: Individuals who experience significant pain during their first few steps in the morning or after sitting for a long time.

Exclusions: The study excludes people with recent foot injuries, gout, or serious underlying health conditions such as severe diabetes or heart disease.

Primary Research Endpoint

The "Primary Endpoint" is the specific result the researchers use to decide if the treatment was successful:

The 50% Reduction Goal: The study measures the "response rate," which is the percentage of patients whose pain score decreases by at least 50% compared to their starting pain level.

Evaluation Timing: This success measure is evaluated after the patient completes one full course of treatment, which consists of 10 sessions given over approximately 20 days.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Heel Pain Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Acupuncture; Procedure: Manual Therapy; Other: Sham Acupuncture

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 150
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Bifeng Fu; Phone Number: 86+18134378096; Email: 18134378096@163.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Tianjin, China
    • The First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
    • Contact: Bifeng Fu; Phone Number: 86+18134378096; Email: 18134378096@163.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Meeting the aforementioned Western medicine diagnostic criteria for heel pain.
2. Aged 40-70 years with a disease duration of less than two months and no prior relevant treatments.
3. Voluntary provision of informed consent and willingness to receive the corresponding treatments.
4. Presence of calcaneal spurs on X-ray radiography is permitted.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of gout, trauma, osteomyelitis, or purulent inflammation in the affected area.
2. Concomitant history of heel trauma with localized redness, swelling, heat, and inflammatory reactions.
3. Chronic conditions that may confound treatment efficacy or outcome interpretation (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, epilepsy, or other disqualifying conditions).
4. Radicular pain accompanied by lower extremity muscle weakness, sensory loss, diminished reflexes, progressive neurological deficits, or severe neurological symptoms.
5. Contraindications to acupuncture (e.g., hemorrhagic diseases, coagulopathy, history of anticoagulant therapy, severe diabetes with infection risk, severe cardiovascular disease).
6. History of adverse reactions to acupuncture or alcohol allergies.
7. Currently pregnant or planning to conceive.
8. Deemed unsuitable for study inclusion by the investigators.

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: Acupuncture Group; Acupoint Selection: Contralateral point selection (i.e., the left heel pain point is selected for right heel pain, and vice versa). Heel Pain Point: Located on the palm, 0.8 cun distal to the Daling acupoint (PC7, located on the anterior aspect of the wrist, in the depression of the distal wrist crease, between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis), toward the thenar eminence. Primary Needles: Hwato brand (0.25 × 40 mm, Suzhou, China). Primary Patch: Spunlace non-woven hollow patch (with cotton) (5 × 5 cm, ring diameter 2.3 cm, cotton diameter 1.5 cm, Yingrui Pharmaceuticals).	Procedure: Acupuncture; The patient is instructed to sit with both hands fully exposed. The practitioner applies the non-woven hollow patch over the skin. Using a 0.3 × 40 mm sterile filiform needle, the practitioner pierces the hollow patch and inserts the needle obliquely downward at a 30°-45° angle to the skin, reaching a depth of 10-15 mm at the heel pain point. An even reinforcing and reducing manipulation (Ping Bu Ping Xie) is applied with small-amplitude, uniform lifting, thrusting, and twirling. Needle insertion stops upon the arrival of Deqi (sensation of soreness, numbness, distension, or pain). The patient is instructed to move, rotate, and stomp the affected heel for 1-2 minutes. After stomping, manipulation ceases; once the numbness in the foot subsides, the patient may stand or walk slowly to assess pain relief. During the procedure, the patient should concentrate on the heel pain, and the operator will periodically monitor for any discomfort. Needles are retained for approximately 15 minutes, a
Active Comparator: Manual Therapy Group; The patient is positioned supine with the affected lower limb completely relaxed. (1) Kneading and pressing techniques are applied to the affected area using the thumb, with intensity tailored to patient tolerance; focus is placed on localized cord-like structures or fibrous nodules for 5-10 min per session. (2) Horizontal Stretching: With the patient supine and the lower limb extended, the practitioner stabilizes the heel with one hand and pushes the forefoot with the base of the other palm, maximally dorsiflexing the ankle until tension is felt in the Achilles tendon and triceps surae. This stretch is performed 5-10 times for 30 seconds each. (3) Straight-Leg Raise Stretching: The practitioner elevates the affected limb while maintaining knee extension. With the left hand on the heel and the right hand gripping the forefoot, the practitioner leans backward to dorsiflex the ankle until gastrocnemius tension is felt. (4) Ankle Rotation: Building upon step (3), the right han	Procedure: Manual Therapy; The patient is positioned supine with the affected lower limb completely relaxed.; Kneading and pressing techniques are applied to the affected area using the thumb, with intensity tailored to patient tolerance; focus is placed on localized cord-like structures or fibrous nodules for 5-10 min per session.; Horizontal Stretching: With the patient supine and the lower limb extended, the practitioner stabilizes the heel with one hand and pushes the forefoot with the base of the other palm, maximally dorsiflexing the ankle until tension is felt in the Achilles tendon and triceps surae. This stretch is performed 5-10 times for 30 seconds each.; Straight-Leg Raise Stretching: The practitioner elevates the affected limb while maintaining knee extension. With the left hand on the heel and the right hand gripping the forefoot, the practitioner leans backward to dorsiflex the ankle until gastrocnemius tension is felt.; Ankle Rotation: Building upon step (3), the right han
Sham Comparator: Sham Acupuncture Control Group; Acupoint Selection: Contralateral point selection (i.e., the left heel pain point is selected for right heel pain, and vice versa). Heel Pain Point: Located on the palm, 0.8 cun distal to the Daling acupoint (PC7, located on the anterior aspect of the wrist, in the depression of the distal wrist crease, between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis), toward the thenar eminence. Primary Needles: Hwato brand (0.25 × 40 mm, Suzhou, China). Primary Patch: Spunlace non-woven hollow patch (with cotton) (5 × 5 cm, ring diameter 2.3 cm, cotton diameter 1.5 cm, Yingrui Pharmaceuticals).	Other: Sham Acupuncture; Preparation is identical to the acupuncture group. The filiform needle is placed against the skin at a 30°-45° angle through the hollow patch but does not penetrate the skin. A secondary patch is applied to secure the needle flat against the skin surface. No needle manipulation is performed. The patient is instructed to sit quietly without movement to prevent inadvertent skin penetration. Needles are retained for 15 minutes. Conducted every other day, with ten sessions constituting one therapeutic course.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The response rate after one course of acupuncture intervention （defined as the proportion of subjects achieving a ≥50% reduction in VAS score from baseline）	VAS Score: A 10-cm visual analog scale where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents severe pain (1-3: mild; 4-6: moderate; 7-10: severe).	20 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain response/remission rate	Clinical Remission Criteria: Based on the Criteria of Diagnosis and Therapeutic Effect of Diseases and Syndromes in Traditional Chinese Medicine (State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine). Cured: Free walking, no mobility restrictions, complete resolution of heel pain. Markedly Effective: Nearly normal walking, mild discomfort only after prolonged walking, significant improvement in mobility, basic resolution of heel pain. Effective: Slight restriction during walking/activity, mild heel pain. Ineffective: Persistent restriction in walking/activity, no relief in heel pain. Total Effective Rate = (Cured + Markedly Effective + Effective) / Total Cases ×100%.	These will be recorded and evaluated at baseline, upon completion of 1 treatment course, and at 2- and 6-months post-treatment
Functional improvement（Assessed via the Maryland Foot Score.）	Maryland Foot Score: Evaluates pain, function, appearance, and mobility. Higher scores indicate better foot function (Excellent: 90-100, Good: 75-89, Fair: 50-74, Poor: <50).	These will be recorded and evaluated at baseline, upon completion of 1 treatment course, and at 2- and 6-months post-treatment
Satisfaction：Patient Satisfaction: Statistical proportion of satisfaction calculated as [(Satisfied + Basically Satisfied) / Total Patients] $\times$ 100%.	Clinical Symptoms and Signs Score for Heel Pain: Comprises 4 domains (pain during walking, pain upon pressure, walking function, and comparative swelling), totaling 12 points. Higher scores indicate greater severity. Gait Analysis: Conducted using a dynamic gait and posture analysis system (Right Gait Postur Medical 3.0, Shenzhen) at baseline and post-treatment. The system records and analyzes plantar pressure distribution, center of pressure, peak pressure, and pressure variance to visually evaluate treatment efficacy.	These will be recorded and evaluated at baseline, upon completion of 1 treatment course, and at 2- and 6-months post-treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 13, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 19, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 26, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 19, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Therapeutics; Complementary Therapies; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation; Acupuncture Therapy; Musculoskeletal Manipulations
• Other Study ID Numbers: TJZY-GK-20250930

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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