Completed

Randomized Clinical Trial of Rehabilitation for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: A Comparison of Manual Therapy + Exercise to Exercise Only

0 criteria met from your profileSee at a glance how your profile meets each eligibility criteria.
What is being tested

Manual Therapy and Exercise

+ Exercise Only

Other
Who is being recruted

Shoulder Injuries+8

+ Joint Diseases

+ Musculoskeletal Diseases

From 18 to 75 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Interventional
Study Start: February 2008
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorProaxis Therapy
Last updated: January 27, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: February 1, 2008

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) is a frequent cause of shoulder pain. Clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of manual therapy have demonstrated improvements in outcomes when manual therapy has been added to a program of therapeutic exercise. However, the these clinical trials (3) have significant limitations and generalizability. Two of the three 3 trials had a small number of subjects (14 \& 22 subjects) and all 3 trials had only short term follow up (<12 weeks) and used non-validated self report outcome measures. These limitations reduce the confidence with which clinicians can apply these results to the patients they treat with SAIS. Clear evidence is needed to justify the cost and clinician time required to perform manual therapy in the delivery of patient care. Therefore, the purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to examine the short-term and long-term effectiveness of manual therapy in addition to therapeutic exercise as compared to therapeutic exercise only in patients diagnosed with SAIS.

Official TitleRandomized Clinical Trial of Rehabilitation for Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: A Comparison of Manual Therapy + Exercise to Exercise Only
Principal SponsorProaxis Therapy
Last updated: January 27, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

109 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

From 18 to 75 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers not allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

Shoulder InjuriesJoint DiseasesMusculoskeletal DiseasesNeurologic ManifestationsPainSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsWounds and InjuriesArthralgiaShoulder Impingement SyndromeShoulder Pain

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Symptoms associated with athletic activity (35% of patients) * Diagnosis of shoulder impingement syndrome as evidence by all 3 criteria: 1. Reproduction of symptoms with impingement test: either Hawkins- Kennedy or Neer Test 2. Pain during active shoulder elevation at or above 60 degrees 3. Weakness of rotator cuff or pain during the Empty Can test or during resisted shoulder external rotation * Shoulder disability: 25/100 (0 = no disability) * Able to understand written and spoken Exclusion Criteria: * Severe pain; pain is \> 7/10 on NPRS (0 = no pain) * Shoulder surgery on affected shoulder * Traumatic shoulder dislocation within the past 3 months * Previous rehabilitation for this episode of shoulder pain * Reproduction of shoulder pain with active or passive cervical motion * Systemic inflammatory joint disease * Global loss of passive shoulder ROM, indicative of adhesive capsulitis * Full-thickness rotator cuff tear, as evidenced by any one of the following: 1. Markedly reduced shoulder external rotation strength 2. Drop arm test 3. External rotation lag sign 4. Lift off test 5. Positive findings on MRI or ultrasonography

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

2 intervention groups are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Group I

Experimental
Manual Therapy + Exercise

Group II

Active Comparator
Exercise Only

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

Proaxis Therapy

Greenville, United StatesOpen Proaxis Therapy in Google Maps
CompletedOne Study Center