Effects of Movement Representation Techniques with Sensorimotor Training for Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain

NCT ID: NCT06823206

Last Updated: 2025-02-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 122 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2027-12-31

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of 12 weeks of sensorimotor training with movement representation techniques for reducing pain intensity in people with rotator cuff related shoulder pain, relative to standard care. Besides, the secondary aim of this study is to explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of central mechanism treatment in people with rotator cuff related shoulder pain. A total of 122 older adults aged 50 or above with the presence of shoulder pain for more than three months will be recruited and randomized into 12-weeks of movement representation techniques with sensorimotor training vs. standard care. Shoulder pain and disability Index (SPADI), changes in primary motor cortex (M1) using brain MRI, changes in subacromial space using ultrasound imaging, Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS), and Fear-avoidance Beliefs questionnaires (FABQ) will be assessed at baseline and 12-week post intervention.

Conditions

Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Control

Wait-list control

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Intervention

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sensorimotor training with movement representation techniques

Intervention Type: OTHER

Sensorimotor training will be implemented with movement representation techniques using a standardized retraining sequence of a shoulder control exercise during arm elevation with 3 phases: Phase 1: Action Observation Training; Phase 2: Mirror therapy; and Phase 3: Sensorimotor training of the involved arm. Each session will last 60 minutes, with one supervised intervention session over the 12 weeks.

Interventions

Sensorimotor training with movement representation techniques

Sensorimotor training will be implemented with movement representation techniques using a standardized retraining sequence of a shoulder control exercise during arm elevation with 3 phases: Phase 1: Action Observation Training; Phase 2: Mirror therapy; and Phase 3: Sensorimotor training of the involved arm. Each session will last 60 minutes, with one supervised intervention session over the 12 weeks.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 50 or above
• Presence of shoulder pain for more than three months
• Clinical test showed 3/5 positive tests (painful arc, resisted external rotation, Neer test, Kennedy-Hawkins test, and Jobe test), and the intensity of pain being provoked should be ≥ 3/10 on an 11-point numeric pain rating scale (NPRS)
• Structural changes of rotator cuff tendons using MRI or ultrasound imaging

Exclusion Criteria

• History of trauma
• Shoulder fracture, glenohumeral osteoarthritis, or arthritis in the acromioclavicular joint
• Clinically suspected labrum lesion
• Previous shoulder surgery or dislocation
• Clinical signs of anterior shoulder instability
• Clinical signs of frozen shoulders
• Previous clinical treatment or corticosteroid injection for a shoulder injury within the last 12 months
• Symptoms referred from or related to the spine; and (9) other competing diagnoses (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, neurological disorders, fibromyalgia, or psychiatric illness).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

LEONG Hio Teng Annie

Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

Annie LEONG

Role: CONTACT

annie-ht.leong@polyu.edu.hk

85227666707

Other Identifiers

HSEARS20231205001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id