Can an app replace paper rehab after shoulder surgery?
NCT ID NCT07555704
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a mobile app with AI-guided exercise videos and reminders helps people recover better after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair compared to standard paper instructions. About 102 adults who need surgery will be randomly assigned to use the app or follow paper handouts. Researchers will measure shoulder function, pain, and satisfaction over 6 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Telerehabilitation mobile application
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a smartphone app is as good as or better than paper handouts for guiding shoulder recovery after surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 102 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The app's AI may not catch all exercise errors, and patients might still need in-person therapy.
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
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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
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About 102 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Demographics: Individuals aged 18 years or older. * Diagnosis: Confirmed symptomatic rotator cuff tear requiring surgical intervention, specifically involving: * Clinical Presentation: Persistent shoulder pain and functional deficits (e.g., positive impingement signs or weakness in abduction/external rotation) consistent with rotator cuff pathology. * Radiological Confirmation: Imaging evidence (MRI or high-resolution ultrasound) of a full-thickness supraspinatus and/or infraspinatus tendon tear. * Tear Characteristics: Small-to-medium-sized tears (maximum diameter \< 5 cm) categorized as reparable by the attending surgeon. * Surgical Procedure: Patients undergoing primary arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) utilizing a standardized double-row suture bridge technique. * Rehabilitation Adherence: Commitment to follow the standardized postoperative rehabilitation protocol as prescribed by the study. * Cognitive and Functional Capacity: * Absence of cognitive impairment, with the ability to comprehend and execute complex exercise instructions. * Proficiency in digital literacy, including the regular use of an internet-enabled electronic device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) capable of video-based communication and data transmission. * Documentation and Consent: * Availability of comprehensive medical records, including pre- and postoperative clinical and radiological data. * Provision of written informed consent by the patient or a legal representative prior to enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Pre-existing or concomitant upper extremity dysfunction unrelated to the rotator cuff tear, including cervical disc herniation, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), traumatic brain injury, cervical spinal cord injury, rheumatoid arthritis with shoulder involvement, or brachial plexus injury. * Complex or irreparable rotator cuff tears, defined as large or massive tears (\> 5 cm), high-grade fatty infiltration of the rotator cuff muscles (Goutallier grade ≥ 3), or inability to achieve secure tendon repair using sutures during arthroscopic surgery. * Postoperative complications that significantly interfere with rehabilitation, such as surgical site infection, nerve injury with paralysis, or severe deltoid muscle damage. * Severe comorbidities that may substantially affect the rehabilitation process or patient safety, including acute coronary syndrome, recent stroke, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or other debilitating systemic diseases. * Inability or unwillingness to comply with the study protocol, including failure to attend scheduled follow-up assessments or voluntary withdrawal from the study.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Hanoi Medical University
Hanoi, 100000, Vietnam
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a Stomach-Derived peptide help tendons heal faster after surgery?
- Can a patch make torn shoulder tendons heal stronger?
- Blood-derived injections may mend torn shoulder tendons without surgery
- Ultrasound 'Tissue Stiffness' test could reveal hidden rotator cuff healing problems
- Which painkiller wins for shoulder surgery? a Head-to-Head test
- Can your beliefs about pain shape your shoulder disability?