Breathe away the pain: simple breathing exercises may ease rotator cuff tears
NCT ID NCT05584345
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether adding breathing exercises to standard physical therapy can reduce pain and improve shoulder movement in people with rotator cuff tears. Thirty adults aged 30 to 55 with diagnosed tears took part. All received usual care like cold packs, ultrasound, and shoulder exercises, while some also practiced breathing techniques. The goal was to see if breathing could help with pain and daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- breathing exercises
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost addition to physiotherapy for shoulder pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Breathing exercises alone are unlikely to heal torn tendons.
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
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30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Finished
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Jul 2023
- 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 to 65 years
- 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.
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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 participants were between the ages of 30 and 55 2. No history of shoulder surgery 3. Exhibited restricted shoulder joint range of motion, 4. A diagnosed rotator cuff tear Exclusion Criteria: 1. individuals with a history of significant shoulder trauma 2. anatomical deformities, skeletal fractures, diagnosed orthopedic or rheumatologic disorders, participation in a physiotherapy program within the last six months 3. Presence of a cardiac pacemaker, current infections, recent myocardial infarction (within the last six months), or any other condition that could interfere with their ability to perform the prescribed exercises
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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
Locations
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Istanbul Medipol University
Istanbul, 34820, Turkey (Türkiye)
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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