Zapping a heel nerve: new hope for chronic foot pain?
NCT ID NCT07537907
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This small pilot study is testing whether using heat (radiofrequency ablation) to disable a nerve in the heel can relieve chronic pain from plantar fasciitis or heel spurs. The 31 participants have had pain for over 6 months and tried at least four other treatments without success. Researchers will measure pain levels and function at 1 and 3 months after the procedure.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- radiofrequency ablation (heat applied via needle to a nerve in the heel)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new option for people with long-lasting heel pain who haven't gotten relief from other treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with no comparison group, so results may not apply widely. The pain relief might not last, and nerve ablation carries risks like numbness or infection.
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
-
31 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- 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
-
18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 75 years * Chronic heel pain lasting longer than 6 months * Clinical (tenderness and/or pain at the medial calcaneal tubercle) and radiological (X-ray or ultrasound) diagnosis of plantar fasciitis or calcaneal spur * Refractory to at least four conservative treatment modalities, including exercise therapy, orthotic support (silicone heel pad), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, and/or corticosteroid injection Exclusion Criteria: * History of trauma to the foot or ankle * History of foot or ankle surgery * Presence of systemic inflammatory disease * Presence of peripheral neuropathy or S1 radiculopathy * Pregnancy * Hemodynamic instability * Presence of skin or soft tissue infection at the injection site * Refusal to participate in the study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Health Sciences Türkiye, Ankara Gaziler Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital
Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Two shockwave types go head to head for stubborn heel pain
- Can fewer acupuncture sessions tame chronic heel pain?
- Can balance training ease stubborn heel pain?
- Needle vs. radio waves: which zaps heel pain best?
- Shockwave or laser: which zaps plantar fasciitis pain best?
- New study tests nerve stretching to ease heel pain