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Mitigating the Impact of Shoulder Movement Dysfunction; a Randomized Controlled Trial

Mitigating the Impact of Shoulder Movement Dysfunction; a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04852640
Enrollment
24
Registered
2021-04-21
Start date
2021-09-01
Completion date
2023-01-04
Last updated
2023-01-09

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

Conditions

Shoulder Injuries, Shoulder Pain

Brief summary

The purpose of the proposed work is to screen the effectiveness of an evidence-based, targeted, treatment intervention versus a non-specific, generalized, treatment intervention to treat symptomatic shoulder instability in collegiate swimmers. The results of the study will allow direct observation of treatment effects designed to mitigate the effects of symptomatic shoulder instability. These results will facilitate the optimization of future treatments and interventions.

Detailed description

Currently, there is an unmet need for an effective method to treat shoulder instability. Namely, there is minimal evidence to mitigate the impact of shoulder instability with non-surgical interventions. The presence of shoulder instability can drastically decrease upper extremity function and lead to subsequent shoulder pathology. While there is observational and retrospective evidence to support the use of specific, guided, therapeutic exercise interventions to treat shoulder instability, there are only two randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating the effects of these types of interventions. While current evidence demonstrates that rehabilitation interventions are capable of decreasing pain and improving self-reported function in individuals with MDI, these investigations include heterogeneous samples and lack thorough investigation of the biomechanical effects of these interventions. The results of this study will allow direct observation of treatment effects designed to mitigate the effects of symptomatic shoulder instability with gold-standard biomechanical techniques. These results will facilitate the optimization of future treatments and interventions. Further, the results will contribute to the current field of musculoskeletal medicine by enhancing biomechanics-based treatment interventions and promote patient-reported outcomes research. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to expand to investigations of treatment effectiveness to more diverse populations and a broader range of movement-related shoulder dysfunctions.

Interventions

PROCEDUREActive Rehabilitation Program (ARP)

The ARP intervention consists of therapeutic exercises designed to increase shoulder strength and endurance using a cluster of common exercises used for the treatment of shoulder pain. Specifically, the ARP program will focus on increasing scapular motor-control through a phasic program of common therapeutic exercises. This concept has been shown in the literature as capable of reducing shoulder pain and improving function in a variety of pathological conditions, however, the effect of this approach to reducing pain and increasing function for symptomatic shoulder instability is unknown. The selection of exercises and application for each exercise included in the ARP is based on recommendations from the literature and will incorporate participant feedback to customize dosages.

PROCEDURENonspecific Passive Intervention (NPI)

The NPI intervention consists of a non-specific treatment approach to shoulder pain that is commonly administered in the clinical setting. Specifically, passive modalities such as ultrasound, massage, and sensory electric stimulation are commonly prescribed in the treatment of shoulder pain to modulate pain. Further, general core strengthening exercises are often implemented. Therefore, the NPI will consist of regularly prescribed passive treatments and general core strengthening exercises, as commonly administered in routine treatment of shoulder pain.

Sponsors

University of Minnesota
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Be an active member of the University of Minnesota Intercollegiate swim team * Be able to actively raise arm over 150 degrees as measured with a standard goniometer

Exclusion criteria

* Are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant * Are breastfeeding * Have a previous history of shoulder surgery within the past 12 months * Have neck pain at the time of enrollment * Do not speak English

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in the magnitude of humeral head translations relative to the scapular glenoidWithin four weeks of treatment initiation and within four weeks of treatment terminationThe magnitude of humeral head translations will be measured as the distance traveled by the humeral head relative to the scapular glenoid. The units of measure for this variable is distance, recorded in millimeters (mm). These measurements will be recorded with biplane radiographic motion analysis.
Change in the magnitude of 3D scapular rotationsWithin four weeks of treatment initiation and within four weeks of treatment terminationThe magnitude of 3D scapular rotations will be measured as scapular rotations in each anatomical plane relative to the thorax. The three scapular rotations that will be measured are: scapular upward/downward rotation, scapular internal/external rotation, and scapular anterior/posterior tilting. These rotations are measured in degrees. These measurements will be recorded with biplane radiographic motion analysis.
Changes in average visual analog scale (VAS)Ten minutes to complete; Weekly for nine months, within 1 week of the intervention initiation, within 1 week of the intervention termination, and eight weeks after interventionPain ratings will be measured with a 10cm VAS. The VAS will not have numbers on the scale, as a numeric pain scale would have. Participants will report their pain rating on the VAS scale weekly by sliding the marker along the line on the electronic survey throughout the duration of the study.
Change in Western Ontario Instability Index (WOSI)Ten minutes to complete; Weekly for nine months, within 1 week of the intervention initiation, within 1 week of the intervention termination, and eight weeks after interventionThe WOSI contains 21 items, each rated on a scale of 0 to 100, and four overarching groups: physical symptoms, sports/recreation/work, lifestyle, and emotion. Composite scores range from 0-2100, where greater scores indicate a reduced quality of life.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026