Flat FeetNCT07811674
Plantar Stimulation, Whole-Body Vibration, and Baduanjin for Muscle Activation
A study testing Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin in people with Flat Feet and Lower-Limb Muscle Activation, run by Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study will examine how different short-term exercise and vibration conditions affect lower-limb muscle activity in young adults with flat feet and young adults with normal feet. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Flat Feet, Lower-Limb Muscle Activation, Neuromuscular Response
- What is being tested?
- Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- Sep 2026to May 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- College students aged 18 to 25, regardless of gender
- agree to participate in the study and voluntarily sign the informed consent form
- and are deemed suitable to participate in this study by the researchers.
Who cannot join
- Persons with severe cardiovascular diseases, motor dysfunction or cognitive disorders
- persons who have suffered severe trauma or been hospitalized recently and are unsuitable for exercise testing
- persons with congenital lower limb or spinal deformities affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
- persons with a medical history of muscular, neurological or skeletal system disorders affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
- persons deemed ineligible to participate in this study by the investigators
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515
YiJian Li, PhD, +86-20-62787238, nfyyec@163.com
chao chen, PhD
About this study
Official title: Study on the Activation Effect of Vibration Training Under Plantar Stimulation and Baduanjin on Lower Limb Muscles
This study will examine how different short-term exercise and vibration conditions affect lower-limb muscle activity in young adults with flat feet and young adults with normal feet.
Participants will complete several conditions, including whole-body vibration, whole-body vibration combined with plantar stimulation under different areas of the foot, and a Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography sensors will be placed on the skin over selected lower-limb muscles to record muscle activity before and during each condition. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order.
This study does not aim to treat flat feet or evaluate long-term clinical benefits. The purpose is to collect preliminary information on immediate muscle activation and foot discomfort, which may help design future studies on foot-related exercise, plantar stimulation, and rehabilitation training.
Read the detailed description
This is a prospective, exploratory, self-controlled crossover study designed to investigate the immediate effects of different exercise and vibration-based conditions on lower-limb muscle activation.
Flat feet may be associated not only with structural changes of the foot arch, but also with altered neuromuscular control of the lower limb. Whole-body vibration provides a standardized mechanical stimulus, while Baduanjin heel-raise exercise represents an active movement-based training condition. Because the plantar surface is an important sensory input area, this study will also examine whether adding regional plantar stimulation to whole-body vibration produces different muscle activation patterns compared with whole-body vibration alone.
Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with stimulation of different plantar regions, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography will be used to record lower-limb muscle activity before and during each condition.
This study is not designed to evaluate treatment efficacy or long-term clinical outcomes. Its purpose is to collect preliminary mechanistic data on immediate neuromuscular responses, which may inform future studies on plantar stimulation, vibration training, and individualized rehabilitation strategies.
- Being tested
- Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin
- Keywords
- Whole-Body Vibration, Regional Plantar Stimulation, Baduanjin, Surface Electromyography, Foot type
- Medical subject headings
- Flatfoot
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,BaduanjinOther
Participants will complete three types of intervention conditions. In the whole-body vibration condition, participants will stand barefoot on a vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart and knees flexed at 20°-25°. Vibration will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. In the whole-body vibration with regional plantar stimulation condition, the same vibration parameters and posture will be used, while a plantar stimulation module is placed on the platform. Four plantar regions will be stimulated separately: the toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar region, and lateral plantar region. In the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform a heel-raise movement derived from Baduanjin under professional guidance, completing six repetitions within 60 seconds.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Flatfoot Group | Experimental | Participants will complete three types of study conditions. In the whole-body vibration (WBV) condition, they will stand barefoot at the center of the vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart, knees flexed at 20°-25°, arms relaxed, head and neck neutral, eyes forward, and body weight evenly distributed. WBV will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds.
For WBV plus regional plantar stimulation, the same posture and WBV parameters will be used. A plantar stimulation module will be placed on the platform, and participants will position the assigned plantar region on the module. Four regions will be stimulated separately: toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar/tibial-side region, and lateral plantar/fibular-side region. Each condition will last 60 seconds.
For the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform the "Bei Hou Qi Dian Bai Bing Xiao" heel-raise movement under professional guidance, with 6 repetitions completed within 60 seconds. Receives: Other: Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin |
| Normal Foot Group | Active comparator | Participants will complete three types of study conditions. In the whole-body vibration (WBV) condition, they will stand barefoot at the center of the vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart, knees flexed at 20°-25°, arms relaxed, head and neck neutral, eyes forward, and body weight evenly distributed. WBV will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds.
For WBV plus regional plantar stimulation, the same posture and WBV parameters will be used. A plantar stimulation module will be placed on the platform, and participants will position the assigned plantar region on the module. Four regions will be stimulated separately: toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar/tibial-side region, and lateral plantar/fibular-side region. Each condition will last 60 seconds.
For the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform the "Bei Hou Qi Dian Bai Bing Xiao" heel-raise movement under professional guidance, with 6 repetitions completed within 60 seconds. Receives: Other: Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Root Mean Square Value
Electrodes were placed per SENIAM standards (2000 Hz sampling, 20-450 Hz band-pass and 50 Hz band-stop filtering). Data were collected during a 30 s resting baseline and the 30-60 s stable phase of intervention. After offline full-wave rectification, RMS was calculated using a 200 ms sliding window (100 ms step). Mean RMS within each epoch was adopted as the representative value.
Measured: Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Sep 2026
- Study startSep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Flat FeetStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- This is a self-controlled, repeated-measures crossover study. All participants will complete all study conditions, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with regional plantar stimulation, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. The order of study conditions will be balanced using a Latin square design to reduce potential order effects. Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment; this classification is used for stratified analysis and is not a randomized group assignment.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- chao chen, PhD, Principal investigator, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07811674
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NFEC-2026-561
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 2 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 10 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual-participant data will not be shared publicly due to participant privacy protection requirements, and the informed consent does not include provisions for open data sharing.
Publications
Ritzmann R, Gollhofer A, Kramer A. The influence of vibration type, frequency, body position and additional load on the neuromuscular activity during whole body vibration. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013 Jan;113(1):1-11. doi: 10.1007/s00421-012-2402-0. Epub 2012 Apr 27.
PubMed 22538279Segura A, Donly KJ, Stratmann RG. Enamel remineralization on teeth adjacent to Class II glass ionomer restorations. Am J Dent. 1997 Oct;10(5):247-50.
PubMed 9522700Kirmizi M, Sengul YS, Akcali O, Angin S. Effects of foot exercises and customized arch support insoles on foot posture, plantar force distribution, and balance in people with flexible flatfoot: A randomized controlled trial. Gait Posture. 2024 Sep;113:106-114. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2024.05.030. Epub 2024 Jun 2.
PubMed 38865799Salinas-Torres VM, Salinas-Torres RA, Carranza-Garcia LE, Herrera-Orozco J, Tristan-Rodriguez JL. Prevalence and Clinical Factors Associated With Pes Planus Among Children and Adults: A Population-Based Synthesis and Systematic Review. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2023 Sep-Oct;62(5):899-903. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2023.05.007. Epub 2023 Jun 5.
PubMed 37286098
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Study on the Activation Effect of Vibration Training Under Plantar Stimulation and Baduanjin on Lower Limb Muscles
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07811674
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NFEC-2026-561
- Keywords
- Whole-Body Vibration, Regional Plantar Stimulation, Baduanjin, Surface Electromyography, Foot type
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will examine how different short-term exercise and vibration conditions affect lower-limb muscle activity in young adults with flat feet and young adults with normal feet.
Participants will complete several conditions, including whole-body vibration, whole-body vibration combined with plantar stimulation under different areas of the foot, and a Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography sensors will be placed on the skin over selected lower-limb muscles to record muscle activity before and during each condition. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order.
This study does not aim to treat flat feet or evaluate long-term clinical benefits. The purpose is to collect preliminary information on immediate muscle activation and foot discomfort, which may help design future studies on foot-related exercise, plantar stimulation, and rehabilitation training.
Detailed description
This is a prospective, exploratory, self-controlled crossover study designed to investigate the immediate effects of different exercise and vibration-based conditions on lower-limb muscle activation.
Flat feet may be associated not only with structural changes of the foot arch, but also with altered neuromuscular control of the lower limb. Whole-body vibration provides a standardized mechanical stimulus, while Baduanjin heel-raise exercise represents an active movement-based training condition. Because the plantar surface is an important sensory input area, this study will also examine whether adding regional plantar stimulation to whole-body vibration produces different muscle activation patterns compared with whole-body vibration alone.
Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment. Each participant will complete all study conditions in a balanced order, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with stimulation of different plantar regions, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. Surface electromyography will be used to record lower-limb muscle activity before and during each condition.
This study is not designed to evaluate treatment efficacy or long-term clinical outcomes. Its purpose is to collect preliminary mechanistic data on immediate neuromuscular responses, which may inform future studies on plantar stimulation, vibration training, and individualized rehabilitation strategies.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- This is a self-controlled, repeated-measures crossover study. All participants will complete all study conditions, including whole-body vibration alone, whole-body vibration combined with regional plantar stimulation, and Baduanjin heel-raise exercise. The order of study conditions will be balanced using a Latin square design to reduce potential order effects. Participants will be classified as having flat feet or normal feet based on foot type assessment; this classification is used for stratified analysis and is not a randomized group assignment.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Flatfoot Group | Experimental | Other: Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,BaduanjinParticipants will complete three types of study conditions. In the whole-body vibration (WBV) condition, they will stand barefoot at the center of the vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart, knees flexed at 20°-25°, arms relaxed, head and neck neutral, eyes forward, and body weight evenly distributed. WBV will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. For WBV plus regional plantar stimulation, the same posture and WBV parameters will be used. A plantar stimulation module will be placed on the platform, and participants will position the assigned plantar region on the module. Four regions will be stimulated separately: toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar/tibial-side region, and lateral plantar/fibular-side region. Each condition will last 60 seconds. For the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform the "Bei Hou Qi Dian Bai Bing Xiao" heel-raise movement under professional guidance, with 6 repetitions completed within 60 seconds. |
| Normal Foot Group | Active comparator | Other: Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,BaduanjinParticipants will complete three types of study conditions. In the whole-body vibration (WBV) condition, they will stand barefoot at the center of the vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart, knees flexed at 20°-25°, arms relaxed, head and neck neutral, eyes forward, and body weight evenly distributed. WBV will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. For WBV plus regional plantar stimulation, the same posture and WBV parameters will be used. A plantar stimulation module will be placed on the platform, and participants will position the assigned plantar region on the module. Four regions will be stimulated separately: toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar/tibial-side region, and lateral plantar/fibular-side region. Each condition will last 60 seconds. For the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform the "Bei Hou Qi Dian Bai Bing Xiao" heel-raise movement under professional guidance, with 6 repetitions completed within 60 seconds. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- College students aged 18 to 25, regardless of gender
- agree to participate in the study and voluntarily sign the informed consent form
- and are deemed suitable to participate in this study by the researchers.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Persons with severe cardiovascular diseases, motor dysfunction or cognitive disorders
- persons who have suffered severe trauma or been hospitalized recently and are unsuitable for exercise testing
- persons with congenital lower limb or spinal deformities affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
- persons with a medical history of muscular, neurological or skeletal system disorders affecting foot posture other than flatfoot
- persons deemed ineligible to participate in this study by the investigators
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,BaduanjinParticipants will complete three types of intervention conditions. In the whole-body vibration condition, participants will stand barefoot on a vibration platform with feet about 20 cm apart and knees flexed at 20°-25°. Vibration will be delivered at 20 Hz and 2 mm for 60 seconds. In the whole-body vibration with regional plantar stimulation condition, the same vibration parameters and posture will be used, while a plantar stimulation module is placed on the platform. Four plantar regions will be stimulated separately: the toe region, metatarsal head region, medial plantar region, and lateral plantar region. In the Baduanjin condition, participants will perform a heel-raise movement derived from Baduanjin under professional guidance, completing six repetitions within 60 seconds. | Other | Flatfoot Group, Normal Foot Group |
Primary outcome
Root Mean Square Value
Time frame: Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition.
Electrodes were placed per SENIAM standards (2000 Hz sampling, 20-450 Hz band-pass and 50 Hz band-stop filtering). Data were collected during a 30 s resting baseline and the 30-60 s stable phase of intervention. After offline full-wave rectification, RMS was calculated using a 200 ms sliding window (100 ms step). Mean RMS within each epoch was adopted as the representative value.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Sep 2026.
- Results publication: PubMed 22538279Ritzmann R, Gollhofer A, Kramer A. The influence of vibration type, frequency, body position and additional load on the neuromuscular activity during whole body vibration. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013 Jan;113(1):1-11. doi: 10.1007/s00421-012-2402-0. Epub 2012 Apr 27.
- Results publication: PubMed 9522700Segura A, Donly KJ, Stratmann RG. Enamel remineralization on teeth adjacent to Class II glass ionomer restorations. Am J Dent. 1997 Oct;10(5):247-50.
- Results publication: PubMed 38865799Kirmizi M, Sengul YS, Akcali O, Angin S. Effects of foot exercises and customized arch support insoles on foot posture, plantar force distribution, and balance in people with flexible flatfoot: A randomized controlled trial. Gait Posture. 2024 Sep;113:106-114. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2024.05.030. Epub 2024 Jun 2.
- Results publication: PubMed 37286098Salinas-Torres VM, Salinas-Torres RA, Carranza-Garcia LE, Herrera-Orozco J, Tristan-Rodriguez JL. Prevalence and Clinical Factors Associated With Pes Planus Among Children and Adults: A Population-Based Synthesis and Systematic Review. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2023 Sep-Oct;62(5):899-903. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2023.05.007. Epub 2023 Jun 5.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual-participant data will not be shared publicly due to participant privacy protection requirements, and the informed consent does not include provisions for open data sharing.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
chao chen, PhD principal investigator
Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Whole-body Vibration Training,Whole-Body Vibration With Regional Plantar Stimulation,Baduanjin in people with Flat Feet and Lower-Limb Muscle Activation, run by Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact chao chen, PhD (+86-20-62787238, chenchao@smu.edu.cn), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Root Mean Square Value (time frame: Day 1: from the resting baseline immediately before each intervention condition through completion of that intervention condition.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07811674, which also lists 4 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Sep 2026.