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.

Enrolling by Invitation

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Chronic Plantar Fasciitis Fasciitis Fasciitis, Plantar Foot Diseases Heel Pain Musculoskeletal Diseases Plantar Fascia Inflammation

Age range

30 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Physical Therapy

Port Said, Port Said Governorate, Egypt

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

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

Exclusion criteria

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

Treatment and study plan

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization

Procedure

The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.

positional release

Procedure

The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.

Exercises

Procedure

The treatment protocol will be two sessions. given per week for 4 weeks.

Primary outcomes

Pain intensity level assessed by Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)

Time frame: Baseline and after 8 sessions (approximately 4 weeks)

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.
Range of motion

Time frame: Baseline and after 8 sessions (approximately 4 weeks)

A digital goniometer is used for the assessment of ankle dorsiflexion, plantar flexion range of motion, and knee flexion range of motion.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Doaa Said Mohamed Ibrahim

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2025
First posted: Jul 17, 2025
Registry last updated: Jul 17, 2025

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Recruiting