Comparing Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or with Plantaris tenotomy, then Tendoachilles for idiopathic toe walking
Official title: The Effect of Targeting the Plantaris Muscle-tendon in Surgical Correction of Ankle Equinus in Children
The Effect of Targeting the Plantaris Muscle-tendon Unit in Surgical Correction of Ankle Equinus in Children
- 2 groups
- One site, in Edmonton
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Medical procedure
Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession, then Plantaris tenotomy
Participants undergo Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession surgery before Plantaris tenotomy.
- Medical procedure
Plantaris tenotomy, then Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession
Participants undergo plantaris tenotomy surgery before Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession.
Canadian Sites (1)
1 of 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Stollery Children's Hospital
Edmonton, Alberta
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for23 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +(All of the following criteria must be met):
- +Ability to provided informed consentInformed consentThe process of being told what taking part involves, then choosing freely.Read more →/assent in English.
- +Known underlying diagnosis of any of the following: idiopathic toe walking, cerebral palsy, hereditary spastic paraparesis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury/tethering, hereditary sensory-motor neuropathy, stroke
- +Ability to maintain hindfoot and midfoot neutral during assessment
- +Passive plantarflexion on affected side greater than 20° and greater than degree of equinus contracture.
- +Note: may be isolated or in conjunction with other orthopaedic procedures; in bilateral ankle equinus procedures, data will be collected bilaterally, but included as a single participant (i.e., single randomizationRandomisedWhich group you go into is decided by chance, not by you or your doctor.Read more →).
- +Exclusion CriteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → (Any one or more of the following):
- +Unable to provide informed consent/assent in English.
- +Limb deficiency on affected side
- +Knee flexion contracture of greater than 5°
- +Surgical intervention of the lower extremities below the affected knee in the last twelve months
- +BoNTA injections below the affected knee within the last six months
- +Known or suspected arthrofibrosis.
- +Pediatric patients (4-17 years) who have consented for surgery for the management of equinus contracture \* (either TA lengthening or GN recession) at the Stollery Children's Hospital
- +Previous surgery for equinus
Exclusion
- −(Any one or more of the following):
- −Unable to provide informed consentInformed consentThe process of being told what taking part involves, then choosing freely.Read more →/assent in English.
- −Limb deficiency on affected side
- −Knee flexion contracture of greater than 5°
- −Surgical intervention of the lower extremities below the affected knee in the last twelve months
- −BoNTA injections below the affected knee within the last six months
- −Known or suspected arthrofibrosis.
- −Previous surgery for equinus
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession, then Plantaris tenotomy.
Registry label: A: Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession, then Plantaris tenotomy
Group B receives Plantaris tenotomy, then Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession.
Registry label: B: Plantaris tenotomy, then Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 4 years to 17 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 42 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around December 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: Prior to skin incision.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion — measured over Prior to skin incision.
Maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion — measured over Prior to division of first tendon/aponeurosis.
Maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion — measured over After division of first tendon/aponeurosis.
Maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion — measured over After division of second tendon/aponeurosis.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT07090057 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession, then Plantaris tenotomyProcedure
Participants undergo Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession surgery before Plantaris tenotomy.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a procedure is here: A surgery, technique or clinical procedure being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Plantaris tenotomy, then Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recessionProcedure
Participants undergo plantaris tenotomy surgery before Tendoachilles (TA) lengthening or gastrocnemius (GN) recession.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a procedure is here: A surgery, technique or clinical procedure being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 4 years to 17 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
This study is open-labelOpen-labelEveryone knows which treatment is being given — nothing is hidden.Read more →: everyone knows which treatment is being given, including you and the study team.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 4 years to 17 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Prior to skin incision.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-12-31.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 42 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
Tight ankle muscles can produce ankle equinus (limited ability to pull the foot upward) and occur often in children, significantly impacting their ability to walk. If not treated, children with ankle equinus frequently experience reduced function and long-term foot problems, such as pain. Currently, treatment options include surgery or Botulinum toxin (BoNTA) injection into the large calf muscles that point the foot downwards, aiming to reduce their tightness. However, these treatments can be less effective over time, can create prolonged calf weakness, and may require long-term bracing. Another small muscle in the leg, the plantaris, is believed to have some contribution to equinus in many children. It is sometimes included in treatment plans for equinus but its contribution is poorly understood. It is unclear whether targeting the plantaris alone could lead to better treatment of ankle equinus. Understanding the effect of treatments targeting the plantaris could help clinicians improve the management of ankle equinus. In this study, the investigators will look at the impact of surgical treatment to the plantaris in ankle equinus. The investigators hypothesize that the plantaris is a significant contributor to equinus. In this study, data will be collected from children undergoing surgical correction of ankle equinus, including lengthening of the plantaris and lengthening of the larger muscles producing equinus (the gastrocsoleus mechanism). Children will be randomly assigned to have either their plantaris or the gastrocsoleus lengthening be done first during surgery. All children will have both structures lengthened during surgery, only the order will be varied and all surgical procedures for each patient will be completed in a single setting. In both groups, maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion (upwards bend of the ankle with the knee straight) will be measured before and after each structure is lengthened. The outcome is maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion (upwards bend of the ankle) with the knee straight. The investigators expect that maximum passive ankle dorsiflexion will increase after lengthening of the plantaris. Understanding the contribution of the plantaris muscle in ankle equinus could lead to significant improvements in the treatment of children with tight ankles.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.