Zap away shoulder pain? new combo therapy put to the test

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects attending the shoulder unit of the traumatology and orthopedic surgery service at Clínica HLA Vistahermosa (TraumaVist) who are clinically diagnosed with supraspinatus tendinopathy (M75.1 Rotator cuff tendinopathy - ICD-10), according to the following criteria (Desmeules et al., 2025). * Participants of both sexes, aged between 18 and 65 years, diagnosed with chronic supraspinatus tendinopathy, or any of the related terms, provided they also meet the conditions detailed below. * Painful symptoms associated with the insertion area of the supraspinatus tendon, present for at least 3 months, of non-traumatic origin, which increase with palpation (score equal to or greater than 3/10 on a numerical pain scale) and with resisted movements, and not associated with signs of nerve root irritation. * Structural changes in the supraspinatus tendon (tendinosis), observed via ultrasound or MRI, and confirmed by a specialist physician. * Positive results in at least 2 of the 5 assessment tests: Hawkins-Kennedy, Neer, Jobe, painful arc of motion, and resisted external rotation. * Attend the center, referred by a specialist in traumatology and orthopedics, with a prescription for physiotherapy treatment. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals with any of the following circumstances will be excluded: * Intratendinous calcification in the supraspinatus muscle. * Partial or complete tear of any rotator cuff structure. * Serious illnesses, diabetes, or systemic inflammatory disease. * Pregnant women (at any stage of pregnancy). * Presence of concomitant pathology in the affected shoulder joint complex at the time of recruitment (previous trauma, capsulitis, fracture and dislocation, history of surgery, entrapment neuropathies, among others). * Regular analgesic or anti-inflammatory pharmacological treatment, including corticosteroid injections in the area, within the 6 months prior to recruitment. * Difficulty understanding and following the intervention program, in any of its modalities (percutaneous electrical stimulation and exercises). • Individuals with belonephobia (fear of needles), or a contraindication for the application of either percutaneous electrical stimulation technique (EP or PENS). * High scores on the Tampa - TSK-11 kinesiophobia scale (≥36 points).