Nerve block before shoulder injection may ease frozen shoulder pain
NCT ID NCT07380087
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
Frozen shoulder causes pain and stiffness. A common treatment called hydrodistension injects fluid into the shoulder joint to stretch it, but it can be painful. This study tests whether giving a nerve block first can reduce that pain and improve results. Fifty adults with frozen shoulder will be randomly assigned to get hydrodistension alone or with a nerve block, and their pain and mobility will be tracked for three months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- suprascapular nerve block with local anesthetic
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could make a common frozen shoulder treatment less painful and more effective, improving comfort and recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 50 participants. The nerve block may not reduce pain enough to matter, and results may not apply to everyone.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
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 * Adults aged 18 years or older * Clinical diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder * Persistent pain and functional limitation despite initial conservative treatment * Ability to understand study procedures * Ability to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria * Known allergy or hypersensitivity to ropivacaine or methylprednisolone * Active infection (local or systemic) * Uncontrolled coagulopathy or ongoing therapeutic anticoagulation * Recent surgery of the affected shoulder * Neurological disease affecting the upper limb * Pregnancy
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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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Unidade Local de Saude São João, EPE
Porto, Porto District, 4200-319, Portugal
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can targeted electroacupuncture and cupping beat standard needle therapy for shoulder pain?
- Could hidden nerve pain explain some shoulder pain cases?
- Why do some shoulder injections work better? a study looks for clues in pain type
- Can radiofrequency waves unfreeze a stiff shoulder?