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Brain scans reveal why exercise eases stubborn shoulder pain

NCT ID NCT04923477

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Southern California Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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
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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 looks at why exercise helps some people with shoulder pain from rotator cuff tendinopathy but not others. Researchers will use brain scans to see how exercise changes the brain and find out who is most likely to get better. The goal is to make exercise treatments more effective for everyone with shoulder pain.

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

About 60 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

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 55 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: 1. the clinical diagnosis for RC tendinopathy will be made with positive 3 of 5 tests: Hawkins-Kennedy, Neer, painful arc, empty can, external rotation resistance test 2. pain ≥ 3/10 on a numeric pain rating scale 3. age: 18 - 45 years 4. Participant must read, sign and date the appropriate Informed consent document. 5. Participant BMI ≤ 30 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Insufficient ability to comprehend and complete the questionnaires, 2. Inability to attend sessions, 3. Prior surgery of shoulder, neck or thoracic spine, 4. Primary complaint of neck or thoracic pain, 5. Diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis, 6. Any serious spinal and shoulder pathology: infections, arthrosis, rheumatic disorders, acute fractures, shoulder dislocation, osteoporosis, or tumors, 7. Central Nervous System involvement, to include hyperreflexia, sensory disturbances in the hand, intrinsic muscle wasting of the hands, unsteadiness during walking, nystagmus, loss of visual acuity, impaired sensation of the face, altered taste, the presence of pathological reflexes (i.e. positive Hoffman and/or Babinski reflexes, 8. two or more neurologic signs of nerve root compression to include myotomal weakness, positive muscle stretch reflex, and dermatomal sensory loss, 9. any shoulder or arm pain with cervical spine tests of Spurling's Test, cervical rotation to the ipsilateral side, or axial compression test, or 10. primary adhesive capsulitis defined by passive range of motion loss \>50% as compared bilaterally of shoulder external rotation, internal rotation, or elevation. 11. Has a device or other condition that is not safe for MRI, including pacemakers.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

disease of the tendon Rotator Cuff Injuries rotator cuff syndrome shoulder impingement syndrome tendinitis tendinosis

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Rotator cuff injuries Rotator cuff tendinitis Rotator cuff tendinosis Subacromial pain syndrome

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Clinical Biomechanics Orthopedic and Sports Outcomes Research Laboratory

    RECRUITING

    Los Angeles, California, 90089, United States

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