Can a simple tape fix your heel pain?
NCT ID NCT05385796
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a special taping technique for people with heel fat pad syndrome, a condition that causes pain under the heel. Sixteen adults with heel pain for at least a week but less than 3 years took part. They received both the special loop taping and a control taping to see which worked better for pain and function. The goal was to find a simple, non-invasive way to reduce pain during activities like standing or walking.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Loop taping (specialized taping technique)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to ease heel pain and improve walking for people with heel fat pad syndrome.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small study (16 people) and only looked at short-term effects. The results may not apply to everyone, and the taping might not help all patients.
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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16 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2023
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 79 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: * Men or women 18 to 79 years of age * History of plantar heel pain in either foot for at least one week and less than 3 years before enrollment * Tenderness on palpation of the heel fat pad * Self-reported worst unilateral or bilateral central heel pain of ≥ 3 on a 0-10 Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) during the past week * Pain ≥ 3 on NPRS during at least one of two pain-aggravating activities of 30-sec static single leg standing OR barefoot 20-meter walking assessed during the enrollment screening and before the tape application Exclusion Criteria: * Primary diagnoses of plantar heel pain (e.g., plantar fasciopathy, posterior tibialis tendinopathy, or tarsal tunnel syndrome) other than HFPS * Ultrasound-measured plantar fascia thickness ≥ 4mm, combined with clinical presentations of plantar fasciopathy * BMI ≥ 35 * Systemic inflammatory arthritis * Diabetes * Lumbar radiculopathy * Neurological conditions affecting gait and mobility * Having received taping for HFPS within the last month * Prior heel surgery
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Aalborg University
Aalborg, Denmark