Sex Hormone Supplementation and Rotator Cuff Repair: A Preliminary Randomized Trial

NCT04944836 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 58

Last updated 2026-03-19

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Shoulder tendon tears are a common cause of shoulder pain and disability and after surgery the repaired tendon often does not heal. In this pilot study, men with low sex hormone levels will be randomly assigned to receive sex hormone therapy or placebo pills while healing from tendon repair surgery in their shoulder. Sex hormone therapy increases sex hormone levels, and the investigators will test whether these increased sex hormone levels show promise in improving tendon healing and patient shoulder function and pain.

Conditions

  • Rotator Cuff Tears

Interventions

DRUG

Clomiphene Citrate

All patients will receive non-labeled pills identical in appearance from our pharmacy, to be taking once every other day. In the study group, these will contain 50 mg of clomiphene citrate. In the control group, these will be placebo. These will be taken every other day for seven months beginning four weeks prior to surgery and extending for six months after surgery. After enrollment patients will be randomized. Patient will be assigned to the 2 groups using a permuted block randomization scheme with blocks of size 2, 4, and 6. Prior to initiation of the study opaque sealed envelopes will be prepared and thoroughly shuffled and then used sequentially during the study. These randomization assignments will be available to the pharmacy in a web-based format or by cards in sealed envelopes. A nonparticipant in the study (the pharmacy at our institution) will administer this process.

PROCEDURE

Rotator Cuff Repair

The operative protocol will be standardized in all patients. Both the operative protocol and post-operative rehabilitation protocol will be per our standard of care, without alteration. An arthroscopic approach will be used. In all cases a double-row rotator cuff repair using triple-loaded anchor(s) on the medial row will be used. Post-operatively all patients will be placed in a sling for six weeks. Active range of motion exercises will begin at six weeks post-operatively and strengthening will be delayed until 12 weeks post-operatively. In all phases of care our peri-operative and post-operative protocol for study patients will be similar to our current clinical practice to ensure generalizability.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
40 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
MALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-03-09
Primary Completion
2028-07-01
Completion
2029-01-01
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04944836 on ClinicalTrials.gov