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New imaging tests aim to pinpoint the source of mysterious muscle pain

NCT ID NCT06803056

Diagnosis Sponsor: Ruth Chimenti Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study is working to create a reliable imaging test to find and measure problem areas in muscle and fascia tissue, known as myofascial pain. Researchers will use ultrasound and MRI to identify unique 'biosignatures' in 120 people with plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, or healthy tissue. The goal is to improve diagnosis and enable more personalized treatment for these common pain conditions.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Diagnostic tests (clinical exam and ultrasound/MRI imaging)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could lead to better, more personalized diagnosis and treatment for myofascial pain conditions like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage diagnostic study, not a treatment trial. The imaging biomarkers being developed may not prove accurate enough for widespread clinical use.

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

106 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2025

Finished

Jun 2026

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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 for plantar fasciitis group: * Clinical diagnosis of plantar fasciitis * Duration of plantar fasciitis pain greater than or equal to 3 months * Severity of plantar fasciitis pain greater than or equal to 3/10 Inclusion criteria for Achilles tendinopathy group: * Clinical diagnosis of insertional Achilles tendinopathy: * Duration of Achilles tendinopathy pain greater than or equal to 3 months * Severity of Achilles tendon pain greater than or equal to 3/10 Control group: • Similar age, sex, and BMI as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy groups Exclusion criteria: * Younger than 18 years of age * History of an invasive procedures to the foot and ankle on the side of interest * History of lower extremity injections, dry needling, or EPAT/ESWT within past 3 months on the side of interest * Contraindications for MRI (e.g. non-MR compatible implanted devices, claustrophobia, inability to remain still comfortably for 1 hour in a supine position, body size too large for MR scanner) * Clinically unstable medical or psychiatric issues * Pregnant or possibly pregnant * Co-morbidities associated with changes in musculoskeletal imaging, including: Diagnosed systemic conditions affecting the foot and ankle (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, gout) endocrine disorder with complications (e.g., uncontrolled Type I or II diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy) Neuromuscular diseases (e.g., Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease) Connective tissue disorder (e.g. Marfan's syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos) Osteoarthritis of the foot or ankle History of foot or ankle fracture Infection of the foot or ankle (e.g., infectious fasciitis, calcaneal osteomyelitis) within the past year Familial hypercholesterolemia Neoplasms involving the foot, Plantar fibromatosis * Control group only: Persistent or recurrent leg pain in the past 6 months * Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy groups only: Other source of heel or foot pain (e.g., tarsal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, lumbar radiculopathy, calcaneal stress fracture, Morton's neuroma, fibromyalgia) or co-occurring plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy (for the Achilles tendinopathy group).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

disease of the tendon Pain plantar fasciitis

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Achilles tendinopathy Controls Plantar fasciopathy

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Iowa Health Care

    Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

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