Mind over shoulder: can imagery training ease chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT06092502
First seen Jul 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026
Summary
This trial investigates whether adding graded motor imagery (GMI) therapy—a sequence of left/right discrimination, mental imagery, and mirror therapy—to standard physiotherapy can improve pain, movement, and function in people with shoulder impingement syndrome. Thirty adults aged 20–50 with shoulder pain lasting more than six weeks will be randomly assigned to receive either standard physiotherapy alone or standard physiotherapy plus GMI. The study measures pain levels, shoulder disability, range of motion, and changes in pain-related fear and central nervous system sensitivity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- graded motor imagery therapy (left/right discrimination, explicit motor imagery, and mirror therapy) added to a traditional physiotherapy program
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could offer a better way to treat shoulder impingement syndrome by addressing both physical and brain-based aspects of pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 30 participants, so results may not apply widely. The therapy requires effort and flexibility, and its benefits over standard care alone are not yet proven.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Nuray ALACA
Istanbul, Turkey, +90, Turkey (Türkiye)
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