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Frozen shoulder study: dry needling put to the test

NCT ID NCT03861923

Symptom relief Sponsor: Duke University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early This study
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at whether adding dry needling (inserting thin needles into muscle knots) to standard physical therapy exercises can reduce pain and improve shoulder movement in people with frozen shoulder. Ten adults with shoulder stiffness and pain were split into two groups: one received real dry needling, the other a sham (fake) treatment. The study was stopped early, so results are limited.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

10 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2020

Finished

Jan 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Primary complaint of shoulder pain and stiffness * Gradual onset of symptoms * Glenohumeral passive range of motion limited in multiple directions * Glenohumeral passive range of motion decreases as the humerus is abducted from 45 degrees to 90 degrees * Age 18 to 65 years * Reports pain with normal activity greater than or equal to 2/10 on the numeric pain rating scale * Read and speak English Exclusion Criteria: * Signs or symptoms of cervical radiculopathy, radiculitis, or referral from the cervical spine * Clinical evidence as determined in the examination of an alternative shoulder diagnosis * Normal passive shoulder range of motion * Known radiographic evidence of glenohumeral osteoarthritis * Known neurologic disease * Received dry needling or acupuncture within the past 6 months * Fear of needling * Currently being treated with anticoagulant medication * Shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) score less than 10% or greater than 90%

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

bursitis frozen shoulder Shoulder Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Frozen shoulder Shoulder adhesive capsulitis Shoulder pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Duke Sports Science Institute

    Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

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