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Shock Wave Therapy as a Treatment Intervention for Frozen Shoulder

NCT06490172 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 18

Last updated 2026-01-27

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Adhesive capsulitis (AC) is a debilitating condition that causes global restriction and pain at the glenohumeral joint. Physiotherapy treatment is often first line treatment management. Patients with failed conservative management are commonly referred to a specialist consultant for further treatment. Over the last 20 years, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has gained popularity as a treatment for various orthopaedic presentations, including chronic soft tissue conditions, being non-invasive, resulting in good outcomes with minimal side effects. There is a lack of evidence on the clinical effectiveness of ESWT for chronic AC following failed conservative treatments, with the available literature reporting positive outcomes, however, with heterogeneity in treatment protocols. This proposed study aims to explore the feasibility of a full trial of ESWT as a treatment for AC using a standardised treatment protocol, and clinical effects on outcomes of pain, function and shoulder joint range of movement in persons with chronic adhesive capsulitis.

A Delphi study will first explore expert opinion for the optimum treatment protocol of ESWT as a treatment for chronic AC, followed by a mixed methods explanatory sequential study that includes a pilot trial with nested qualitative interviews. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, numerical pain rating scale, EuroQol-5D, and digital goniometer will be used to measure self-reported pain and function, pain, health-related quality of life, and shoulder joint range of movement, respectively. Quantitative data will be analysed by descriptive statistics. Qualitative data will be collected through semi-structured interviews. Interview data will be analysed using Braun and Clarke's inductive thematic analysis approach. The study will be conducted in an out-patient clinical setting in a community health hub facility, with patients recruited from an NHS Orthopaedics waitlist. Data collection is planned over a nine month period. This study is not affiliated with funding streams.

Conditions

  • Shoulder Pain
  • Adhesive Capsulitis of Shoulder

Interventions

DEVICE

Shock wave therapy

Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and feasibility as treatment for adhesive capsulitis

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Stirling

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Crystal Reno · University of Stirling

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
70 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-05-31
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2027-04-30

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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 NCT06490172 on ClinicalTrials.gov