Does a Stretching Regime Decrease Posterior Shoulder Tightness in People with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome?

A study to evaluate the effectiveness of Posterior Capsule Stretches on increasing range, decreasing pain and increasing function in people with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (SAIS)

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12607000404426

Enrollment

Registered

2007-08-06

Start date

2007-08-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine: 1. If a posterior shoulder stretch technique increases shoulder range of movement in people with subacromial impingement syndrome. 2. If a stretching regime for posterior shoulder tightness results in an improvement in subacromial impingement symptoms.

Interventions

Preliminary Study: People randomly assigned a sequence of treatment modalities (Posterior Capsule stretch, Placebo Stretch (External Rotation) and no stretch) over three seperate days. 24 hours between each treatment session. Main Study: Intervention: Posterior Capsule Stretch- Person is in Side-ly on the affected side and humerus at 90 degrees abduction, elbow at 90 degrees flexion. The person internally rotates the arm till a strong but comfortable pull is felt in the posterior shoulder. The person undertakes the stretch for 60 seconds and repeats three times, this is done three times a day for 6 weeks. They also undertake a 'standardised' Physiotherapy exercise program. Both groups recieve Standardised Physiotherapy for 6 weeks and then can have ongoing treatment as per Physiotherapist discretion.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 66 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with a clinical diagnosis of unilateral SAIS and at least four weeks duration of symptoms. The diagnosis will be based on the patients' history and a clinical examination, which will include the reproduction of pain with shoulder internal rotation at ninety degrees of flexion (Hawkins Test) and posterior shoulder tightness as indicated by a loss of more than 2 cm on crossed adduction shoulder measures when compared to the unaffected side (Tyler et al., 1999). All genders included.

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be excluded from the study if they have a history or current diagnosis of dislocation with an associated positive apprehension test, rotator cuff tears/rupture, adhesive capsulitis, acromioclavicular joint pathology, cervical spine pathology, neurological pathology, systemic disease affecting the upper limb (e.g. cancer or rheumatological disease), heart failure, radiological/imaging findings of internal derangement of the glenohumeral joint, bilateral upper limb pain, trauma to the upper limb within the previous four weeks, or physiotherapy treatment for this condition within the last six month (Desmeules et al., 2003).

Outcome results