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Can stretching a calf muscle help legs walk farther in PAD?

NCT ID NCT06041880

Symptom relief Sponsor: Penn State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Oct 02, 2026 · Last updated Oct 02, 2026

Summary

Researchers at Penn State University are testing whether daily passive calf stretching at home can improve calf muscle health, blood vessel function, and walking ability in people with peripheral artery disease. Participants wear inflatable ankle splints for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks, then stop for 4 weeks. The study measures walking distance, muscle and tendon structure, and blood vessel function in the leg.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
passive calf muscle stretching using inflatable ankle splints worn at home
What this could lead to
If it works, daily stretching at home could become a low-cost way to help people with peripheral artery disease walk farther with less pain.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study of 24 people, so any benefit may be modest or may not hold up in larger groups. Stretching could also cause muscle soreness or skin irritation from the splints.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 24 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2024

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

40 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Presence of PAD * Stable condition (PAD symptoms) for at least 3 months * Age 40-85 * Men and women who are not pregnant or nursing Exclusion Criteria: * Ischemic leg pain at rest; critical limb ischemia (ulceration or gangrene) * Any condition other than PAD that limits the ability to walk * Major surgery or lower extremity revascularization surgery in the past 6 months * Myocardial infarction within past 6 months or unstable angina * Severe lung disease (on supplemental oxygen or frequently use rescue inhalers) * Participants with non-compressible vessels (ABI \> 1.40) * Habitual exercise (30 minutes of continuous activity on 3 or more days per week) * Current tobacco smoker or use of nicotine-containing products * Pregnant or nursing women * History or ankle reconstruction or surgery Recent history (\<1 year) of injuries to the ankle, Achilles tendon, or feet * History of rheumatoid arthritis or other degenerative joint disease * Major medical illness treatment during the prior 12 months * Uncontrolled hypertension * Uncontrolled diabetes * Inability to walk on a treadmill at a slow pace (1.0 mile/hour)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

intermittent vascular claudication peripheral arterial disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Claudication, intermittent Peripheral artery disease

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Penn State University

    RECRUITING

    University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

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