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Effect of Foot Position During Rehabilitation of Achilles Tendinopathy on Tendon Mechanics and Symptoms.

NCT07623408 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 60

Last updated 2026-06-03

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study will investigate whether a 12-week load-based exercise program performed with an externally rotated foot position ("toes-out") leads to different changes in intra-tendinous sliding, symptoms, and function compared to a standard exercise program performed with a neutral foot position in individuals with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. In addition, physical activity will be monitored during and after the intervention to examine how daily loading patterns relate to symptoms and functional recovery over a 6-month period.

Conditions

  • Achilles Tendinopathy (AT)

Interventions

OTHER

12-week adaptive, load-based exercise therapy protocol for Achilles Tendinopathy

A 12-week progressive, load-based exercise program was developed, consisting of four daily exercises with gradually increasing tendon load over time. The program was based on the exercise battery and according Achilles Tendon loading index described by Baxter et al. (2021) and included a wide variety of 30 exercises (heel raise variations, step exercises, squats, lunges, jump variations, ...). A new exercise was introduced every four days, while weekly supervised sessions ensured correct execution and allowed for adjustments based on patient tolerance (e.g., excessive knee loading, too high pain scores during specific exercises, …). This flexible approach enabled gradual progression of each participant's daily load index according to individual capacity. An estimated time of 20-30 minutes daily is needed to execute all the daily exercises.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

    collaborator OTHER

  • KU Leuven

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-19
Primary Completion
2027-08-31
Completion
2027-08-31

Countries

  • Belgium

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07623408 on ClinicalTrials.gov