Low-Level Laser Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05763381. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Photobiomodulation Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: A Single-Blind Randomized Control Trial
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Plantar fasciitis (PF), a degenerative injury of the connective tissue in the foot, results in pain-related disability in Service Members and contributes to decreased physical activity and excessive healthcare costs. Even if effective, current treatment protocols may require 6-12 months of therapy to return individuals to pain-free activity. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) uses non-ionizing light to elicit biological changes in tissues resulting in beneficial therapeutic outcomes. Evidence supports use of PBM for other degenerative connective tissue conditions, such as achilles tendinopathy and epicondylitis. A previous pilot study was completed in an active-duty military and civilian population, which demonstrated a positive effect of two PBM dose parameters on function and pain levels in participants with chronic PF when combined with stretching and ice. These positive findings from the aforementioned study are promising in the treatment of this common and debilitating issue, but require the addition of a sham comparison to rigorously eliminate any potential placebo effect of the treatment protocol, and further refine the treatment protocol in order to make evidence-based clinical recommendations. As such, proposing a follow-up study and the addition of an objective outcome measure will strengthen the impact of the study. SPECIFIC AIM 1: To assess the clinical effectiveness of photobiomodulation compared to sham photobiomodulation to improve function and decrease pain. SPECIFIC AIM 2: To evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation compared to sham photobiomodulation to resolve plantar fascial thickening. DESIGN: A prospective randomized sham-controlled trial to meet the aims of the study. METHOD: A sample of up to 100 active-duty military members will be randomly assigned to the Sham-PBMT or PBMT group. At baseline, during the treatment protocol, and at long-term (3 and 6 months) follow-up, measures of foot function, pain, and plantar fascial thickness will be collected for analysis. The proposed methods will allow the study team to establish if PBMT is clinically effective to accelerate recovery compared to Sham-PBMT and result in resolution of fascial thickening, decrease in pain, and improved function. LONG-TERM GOAL: The long-term goals of the research include developing PBMT protocols for broad application to other painful and duty-limiting conditions.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT05763381
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 71 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
Device
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 64 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Aug 10, 2022
- Primary completion
- Oct 30, 2024
- Completion
- Oct 30, 2024
- Last update posted
- Jun 3, 2025
2022 – 2024
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madigan Army Medical Center | Tacoma | Washington | 98431 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05763381, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jun 3, 2025 · Synced Sep 6, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT05763381 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.