Foot Muscle Strengthening Exercises for Pes Planovalgus

NCT ID: NCT06548750

Last Updated: 2025-08-13

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

32 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-09-02

Study Completion Date

2025-02-05

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Pes planovalgus is a common foot condition affecting the child population. It is characterized by the partial or complete collapse of the medial longitudinal arch with rearfoot eversion and forefoot abduction, which is associated with changes in lower extremity kinematics during dynamic activity.

The lower extremity chain includes the foot, ankle, knee, and hip joints, with the feet acting as the base of support. However, due to their small size, maintaining balance can be challenging. Any small dynamic change in the foot, as the support base, can impact overall body posture. The foot arch, which can be pronated or supinated, affects proprioceptive input by altering joint movement, contact area, and muscle strategy for stability. Pes planovalgus, characterized by excessive subtalar pronation, lead to instability and hypermobility, requiring more neuromuscular control to maintain balance. As a result, flat feet can cause pathomechanical issues and compensatory actions in the lower extremity chain, affecting overall body balance.

The effectiveness of exercise interventions, particularly foot intrinsic muscle strengthening exercises, in increasing the medial longitudinal arch in individuals with pes planus has been investigated in numerous studies. It is widely accepted that both intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups play a crucial role in the formation, maintenance, and enhancement of foot arches. However, there is a lack of studies specifically examining the effectiveness of exercises aimed at strengthening these muscles in children with pes planovalgus. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects of two corrective exercise programs focused on the improvement of the medial longitudinal arch in children with pes planovalgus: one incorporating routine intrinsic muscle exercises and the other combining them with extrinsic muscle exercises.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Voluntary children who have been diagnosed with pes planovalgus will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from caregivers. Participants will be divided into two groups. Study groups will be as follows: a) Intervention Group (Intrinsic\&Extrinsic Exercise), b) Control Group (Intrinsic Exercise).

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Pes Planus

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

There will be an equal number of participants in the two groups randomized by the computer
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators
The assessor will not know which participant received which intervention.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Intervention Group

Individuals with a diagnosis of pes planovalgus who underwent supervised exercise under the guidance of a physiotherapist for 8 weeks, 1 day a week.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Intrinsic and Ectrinsic Exercise

Intervention Type OTHER

Intrinsic and extrinsic muscle strengthening exercises

Control Group

Individuals with a diagnosis of pes planovalgus who underwent supervised exercise under the guidance of a physiotherapist for 8 weeks, 1 day a week.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Intrinsic Exercise

Intervention Type OTHER

Intrinsic muscle strengthening exercises

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Intrinsic and Ectrinsic Exercise

Intrinsic and extrinsic muscle strengthening exercises

Intervention Type OTHER

Intrinsic Exercise

Intrinsic muscle strengthening exercises

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Presence of bilateral pes planovalgus,
* Being between 4-7 years of age,
* Having a body mass index within normal limits

Exclusion Criteria

* Having high femoral anteversion, internal tibial torsion and metatarsus adductus
* Having leg length inequality
* Having any neurological, rheumatic, musculoskeletal, metabolic and connective tissue disease
* Having a history of pain, deformity or surgery related to the vertebral column and lower extremities
* Having a cognitive, mental or serious psychiatric disease
* Having been involved in any exercise program or sports activity in the last six months
Minimum Eligible Age

4 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

7 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Aysenur Erekdag

Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Deniz Tuncer, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Bezmialem Vakif University

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Bezmialem Vakif University

Istanbul, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Turkey (Türkiye)

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Huang C, Chen LY, Liao YH, Masodsai K, Lin YY. Effects of the Short-Foot Exercise on Foot Alignment and Muscle Hypertrophy in Flatfoot Individuals: A Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 22;19(19):11994. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191911994.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36231295 (View on PubMed)

Hara S, Kitano M, Kudo S. The effects of short foot exercises to treat flat foot deformity: A systematic review. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2023;36(1):21-33. doi: 10.3233/BMR-210374.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35871320 (View on PubMed)

Okamura K, Fukuda K, Oki S, Ono T, Tanaka S, Kanai S. Effects of plantar intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercise on static and dynamic foot kinematics: A pilot randomized controlled single-blind trial in individuals with pes planus. Gait Posture. 2020 Jan;75:40-45. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2019.09.030. Epub 2019 Sep 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31590069 (View on PubMed)

Pabon-Carrasco M, Castro-Mendez A, Vilar-Palomo S, Jimenez-Cebrian AM, Garcia-Paya I, Palomo-Toucedo IC. Randomized Clinical Trial: The Effect of Exercise of the Intrinsic Muscle on Foot Pronation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 7;17(13):4882. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134882.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32645830 (View on PubMed)

Haun C, Brown CN, Hannigan K, Johnson ST. The Effects of the Short Foot Exercise on Navicular Drop: A Critically Appraised Topic. J Sport Rehabil. 2020 May 8;30(1):152-157. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2019-0437.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32384261 (View on PubMed)

Moon DC, Kim K, Lee SK. Immediate Effect of Short-foot Exercise on Dynamic Balance of Subjects with Excessively Pronated Feet. J Phys Ther Sci. 2014 Jan;26(1):117-9. doi: 10.1589/jpts.26.117. Epub 2014 Feb 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24567688 (View on PubMed)

Tuncer D, Erekdag A, Senaran H, Uzer G. Intrinsic vs. combined foot muscle strengthening for pes planovalgus in children aged 4-7 years: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2025 Sep 25;184(10):636. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06480-3.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 40999032 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

DT2024-AE

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.