Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38790025›Full record

ArticleTrials2024

Efficacy of heel lifts for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (the LIFT trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Jaryd Bourke, Shannon Munteanu, Alessandro Garofolini, Simon Taylor, Peter Malliaras

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07360873 (Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07360873 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Eccentric Exercises of Calf Muscles Versus Heel Insole Lift on Pain, Range of Motion, and Function in Football Players With Achilles Tendinopathy

TypeinterventionalSponsorAdnan HashimRan2025 to 2025Enrolled24ConditionsAchilles Tendinopathy (AT)ArmsEccentric Calf Muscle Exercises, Heel Insole Lift
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jaryd BourkePhysiotherapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Shannon MunteanuDiscipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.
Alessandro GarofoliniInstitute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Victoria, Australia. alessandro.garofolini@vu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1789-2362
Simon TaylorInstitute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Victoria, Australia.
Peter MalliarasPhysiotherapy Department, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMid-portion Achilles tendinopathy is a common condition, characterised by localised Achilles tendon load-related pain and dysfunction. Numerous non-surgical treatments have been proposed for the treatment of this condition, but many of these treatments have a poor or non-existent evidence base. Heel lifts have also been advocated as a treatment for Achilles tendinopathy, but the efficacy and mechanism of action of this intervention is unclear. This proposal describes a randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of heel lifts versus sham heel lifts for reducing pain associated with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy, with an embedded biomechanical analysis.

methodsOne hundred and eight men and women aged 18 to 65 years with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (who satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria) will be recruited. Participants will be randomised, using the website Sealed Envelope, to either a control group (sham heel lifts) or an experimental group (heel lifts). Both groups will be provided with education regarding acceptable pain levels to ensure all participants receive some form of treatment. The participants will be instructed to use their allocated intervention for at least 8 h every day for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure will be pain intensity (numerical rating scale) at its worst over the previous week. The secondary outcome measures will be additional measures of Achilles tendon pain and disability, participant-perceived global ratings of change, function, level of physical activity and health-related quality of life. Data will be collected at baseline and the primary endpoint (week 12). Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. In addition, the acute kinetic and kinematic effects of the interventions will be examined at baseline in a subpopulation of the participants (n = 40) while walking and running using three-dimensional motion analysis. DISCUSSION: The LIFT trial (efficacy of heeL lIfts For mid-portion Achilles Tendinopathy) will be the first randomised trial to compare the efficacy of heel lifts to a sham intervention in reducing pain and disability in people with Achilles tendinopathy. The biomechanical analysis will provide useful insights into the mechanism of action of heel lifts.

trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12623000627651 . Registered 7 June 2023.

Indexed as

Achilles TendonHeelPain MeasurementRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTendinopathyAdolescentAdultAgedBiomechanical PhenomenaExercise TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeAchilles tendonClinical trial protocolHeel liftOrthotic devicesTendinopathy

Identifiers

PMID38790025
PMCPMC11127406

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.