Tiny muscle may hold key to better ankle surgery for kids

NCT ID NCT07090057

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Alberta Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study examines the role of the plantaris, a small calf muscle, in children having surgery for tight ankles (equinus). Researchers will randomly change the order of tendon cuts during surgery to measure how much each contributes to ankle movement. The goal is to understand if targeting the plantaris can improve treatment for conditions like cerebral palsy or toe walking.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: surgery (tendon lengthening procedures)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could help surgeons better treat ankle tightness in children, potentially leading to more effective and lasting results.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage study focused on measuring immediate surgical effects, not long-term outcomes. The results may not apply to all children or conditions.

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 42 people

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

Started

Mar 2023

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

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

4 to 17 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 (All of the following criteria must be met): * Ability to provided informed consent/assent in English. * Pediatric patients (4-17 years) who have consented for surgery for the management of equinus contracture \* (either TA lengthening or GN recession) at the Stollery Children's Hospital * Known underlying diagnosis of any of the following: idiopathic toe walking, cerebral palsy, hereditary spastic paraparesis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury/tethering, hereditary sensory-motor neuropathy, stroke * Ability to maintain hindfoot and midfoot neutral during assessment * Passive plantarflexion on affected side greater than 20° and greater than degree of equinus contracture. * Note: may be isolated or in conjunction with other orthopaedic procedures; in bilateral ankle equinus procedures, data will be collected bilaterally, but included as a single participant (i.e., single randomization). Exclusion Criteria (Any one or more of the following): * Unable to provide informed consent/assent in English. * Previous surgery for equinus * Limb deficiency on affected side * Knee flexion contracture of greater than 5° * Surgical intervention of the lower extremities below the affected knee in the last twelve months * BoNTA injections below the affected knee within the last six months * Known or suspected arthrofibrosis.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cerebral palsy are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Brain Injuries, Traumatic cerebral palsy Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease hereditary spastic paraplegia spinal cord injury stroke disorder tethered spinal cord syndrome traumatic brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cerebral palsy Hereditary sensory-motor neuropathy Hereditary spastic paraparesis Idiopathic toe walking Spinal cord injury Spinal cord tethering Stroke Traumatic brain injury

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

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

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

Open the record ↗
A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Tiny muscle may hold key to better ankle surgery for kids

What the study statuses mean