Can fine needles soothe stubborn heel pain?
NCT ID NCT07642583
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether adding a technique called dry needling to a standard exercise program helps people with chronic Achilles tendon pain. 74 adults with pain lasting 6 weeks or more will either get real dry needling or a sham version, plus exercise. Researchers will track pain, function, and tendon health over 6 months to see if the needling makes a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dry needling
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a simple, low-cost addition to exercise therapy for chronic Achilles tendon pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial (74 people) testing a procedure against a sham. The dry needling may not provide extra benefit over exercise alone, and results may not apply to everyone.
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
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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
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About 74 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 64 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Symptoms in one or both Achilles tendons * Pain reported in Achilles with running, jumping or walking * Symtom duration ≥ 6 weeks * Age 18-64 * English-speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Score \> 80 on VISA-A * Prior Achilles rupture or surgery * Pain reported in Achilles insertion to calcaneus only * Needle phobia * Self-reported pregnancy * Trainee status * Corticosteroid injection in the past 3 months into the Achilles tendon * Unable to participate in 12 week program * Taken Quinolone antibiotics past three months (e.g. Cipro, Levaquin, Floxin, Baxdela) * Currently undergoing separation from the military * Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic connective tissue disorder, or neurological disorder affecting the lower leg. * Symptoms in Achilles tendon are from another source (e.g. S1 radicular pain, referred pain, sural nerve entrapment) * Currently undergoing active physical therapy elsewhere for Achilles pain
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Get notified about this study
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CPT Jennifer Moreno Primary Care Clinic - Physical Therapy
Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 78324, United States