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NCT Number: NCT07811674

Plantar Stimulation, Whole-Body Vibration, and Baduanjin for Muscle Activation

This study will examine how different short-term exercise and vibration conditions affect lower-limb muscle activity in young adults with flat feet and young adults with normal feet.

Participants will complete several conditions, including whole-body vibration, whole-body vibration combined with plantar stimulation under different areas of the foot, and a Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography sensors will be placed on the skin over selected lower-limb muscles to record muscle activity before and during each condition. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order.

This study does not aim to treat flat feet or evaluate long-term clinical benefits. The purpose is to collect preliminary information on immediate muscle activation and foot discomfort, which may help design future studies on foot-related exercise, plantar stimulation, and rehabilitation training.

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Key information

Conditions

Flat Feet Congenital Abnormalities Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Flatfoot Foot Deformities Foot Deformities, Acquired Foot Deformities, Congenital Limb Deformities, Congenital Lower Extremity Deformities, Congenital Lower-Limb Muscle Activation Musculoskeletal Abnormalities Musculoskeletal Diseases Neuromuscular Response Talipes

Age range

18 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

YiJian Li, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+86-20-62787238

chao chen, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

This is a prospective, exploratory, self-controlled crossover study designed to investigate the immediate effects of different exercise and vibration-based conditions on lower-limb muscle activation.

Flat feet may be associated not only with structural changes of the foot arch, but also with altered neuromuscular control of the lower limb. Whole-body vibration provides a standardized mechanical stimulus, while Baduanjin heel-raise exercise represents an active movement-based training condition. Because the plantar surface is an important sensory input area, this study will also examine whether adding regional plantar stimulation to whole-body vibration produces different muscle activation patterns compared with whole-body vibration alone.

Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with stimulation of different plantar regions, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography will be used to record lower-limb muscle activity before and during each condition.

This study is not designed to evaluate treatment efficacy or long-term clinical outcomes. Its purpose is to collect preliminary mechanistic data on immediate neuromuscular responses, which may inform future studies on plantar stimulation, vibration training, and individualized rehabilitation strategies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • College students aged 18 to 25, regardless of gender
  • agree to participate in the study and voluntarily sign the informed consent form
  • and are deemed suitable to participate in this study by the researchers.

Exclusion criteria

  • Persons with severe cardiovascular diseases, motor dysfunction or cognitive disorders
  • persons who have suffered severe trauma or been hospitalized recently and are unsuitable for exercise testing
  • persons with congenital lower limb or spinal deformities affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
  • persons with a medical history of muscular, neurological or skeletal system disorders affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
  • persons deemed ineligible to participate in this study by the investigators

Treatment and study plan

Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin

Other

Participants will complete three types of intervention conditions. In the whole-body vibration condition, participants will stand barefoot on a vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart and knees flexed at 20°-25°. Vibration will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. In the whole-body vibration with regional plantar stimulation condition, the same vibration parameters and posture will be used, while a plantar stimulation module is placed on the platform. Four plantar regions will be stimulated separately: the toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar region, and lateral plantar region. In the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform a heel-raise movement derived from Baduanjin under professional guidance, completing six repetitions within 60 seconds.

Primary outcomes

  1. Root Mean Square Value

    Time frame: Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition.

    Electrodes were placed per SENIAM standards (2000 Hz sampling, 20-450 Hz band-pass and 50 Hz band-stop filtering). Data were collected during a 30 s resting baseline and the 30-60 s stable phase of intervention. After offline full-wave rectification, RMS was calculated using a 200 ms sliding window (100 ms step). Mean RMS within each epoch was adopted as the representative value.

Other outcomes

  1. Integrated Electromyography

    Time frame: Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition.

    discharge during the resting baseline phase (stable signals for 60 consecutive seconds) before each intervention mode and the entire intervention period (60 seconds) during intervention, namely the area under the curve of electromyographic signals after full-wave rectification, which reflects the overall activation level.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

chao chen, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+86-20-62787238

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Study on the Activation Effect of Vibration Training Under Plantar Stimulation and Baduanjin on Lower Limb Muscles

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Sep 10, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 10, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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