The effectiveness of treating PST; feasibility study (V2)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effectiveness of treatment for posterior shoulder tightness in combination with exercise compared with exercise alone in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome: a randomised feasibility study.
IRAS ID
159704
Contact name
Kevin Hall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Western Sussex Hospitals Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NCT02598947, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Shoulder impingement syndrome is a very common cause of shoulder pain and normally treated with physiotherapy or surgery. Research has shown that physiotherapy is as effective as surgery, however, the incidence of surgery for this condition is on the rise internationally, nationally and locally. The most effective form of physiotherapy, however, is not known. Laboratory studies have suggested that posterior shoulder tightness may contribute to irritation of the soft tissue structures around the shoulder joint and perpetuate pain from shoulder impingement syndrome. There is a lack of good quality evidence to support this perspective. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for posterior shoulder tightness in combination with therapeutic exercise compared with exercise alone in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome.
The study will be a randomised, double blind (patient and assessor), parallel group, feasibility study with 1:1 allocation ratio. Patients awaiting surgery will be assessed for inclusion/exclusion criteria and then randomly allocated into one of two groups: Group 1 - exercise and stretch or Group 2 - exercise. 60 patients will be assigned to receive exercise, with or without treatment for posterior shoulder tightness.
Physiotherapy treatment will be delivered over 13-15 weeks and outcomes will be assessed at 0, 6-8, 13-15, 26 and 52 weeks. Current surgical waiting times are 18-36 weeks. The results will help us to understand if this is an important part of physiotherapy treatment, which might help reduce patient’s pain and disability as well as reduce the cost of treatment for the NHS.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0360
Date of REC Opinion
22 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion