Effects of Foot Rehabilitation And Minimalist Shoes on Pain, Strength, and Function in Adults With Plantar Fasciopathy

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of 8 weeks of foot rehabilitation exercises in conjunction with wearing minimalist shoes in individuals with plantar fasciopathy, compared to only performing foot rehabilitation exercises. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Will individuals with plantar fasciopathy be able to reduce their pain and improve their self-reported function by performing rehabilitation exercises and wearing minimalist shoes, compared to those only performing rehabilitation exercises?
* Will individuals with plantar fasciopathy be able to increase their intrinsic foot muscle strength and size, their balance, and gait biomechanics by performing rehabilitation exercises and wearing minimalist shoes, compared to those only performing rehabilitation exercises?
* What characteristics of individuals with plantar fasciopathy make them most suited to succeed in a protocol of performing rehabilitation exercises and wearing minimalist shoes?

Participants will be asked to come into the lab at the start of the intervention and after 8 weeks, where the following will be assessed:

* Patient-reported outcomes
* Foot morphology
* Intrinsic foot muscle strength
* Balance
* Gait biomechanics

For the intervention, participants in both groups will perform the same rehabilitation exercises, including:

* Massage to the bottom of the foot
* Calf-raises
* Calf and foot stretches

Conditions

• Plantar Fascitis
• Plantar Fasciopathy
• Plantar Fasciitis of Both Feet
• Plantar Fasciitis of Right Foot
• Plantar Fasciitis of Left Foot
• Plantar Fasciitis, Chronic

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Home Exercise Program

Participants will receive a home exercise program that consists of 2 exercises and 3 stretches. The exercises include: * Massage on the bottom of the foot with a ball * Calf-raises * Lunge calf-stretch with the knee straight * Calf-stretch with the knee bent * Stretch for the bottom of the foot These exercises are intended to be performed daily.

BEHAVIORAL

Minimalist Shoes

Participants will receive a pair of minimalist shoes. They will wear them for an allotted amount of time per day each week, in order to allow for a slow adjustment into the shoes. The protocol is as follows: * Week 1: 1 hour per day * Week 2: 2 hours per day * Week 3: 4 hours per day * Week 4: 6 hours per day * Week 5: 8 hours per day * Week 6: 8 hours per day * Week 7: 8 hours per day * Week 8: 8 hours per day

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Virginia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jennifer Xu, MS · University of Virginia

• Susan Saliba, PhD · University of Virginia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-14

Primary Completion

2025-01-20

Completion

2025-01-20

Countries

• United States

Study Locations