Faster shoulder rehab after surgery: does starting day one help?
NCT ID NCT03804853
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether starting an accelerated shoulder rehabilitation program immediately after reverse total shoulder replacement leads to better pain relief and function than the standard rehab approach. About 74 people with shoulder osteoarthritis will be randomly assigned to one of the two rehab programs. Researchers will track their progress for a year using questionnaires and range-of-motion tests.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- physical therapy (immediate accelerated shoulder rehabilitation vs. standard protocol)
- What this could lead to
- If the accelerated rehab works better, patients could recover shoulder function and comfort faster after reverse shoulder replacement surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial (74 people) comparing two rehab approaches. The accelerated protocol might not prove better than standard care, and results may not apply to all patients.
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 74 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2018
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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55 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: * \> 55 years of age. * Candidate for a primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. * Capable of completing self-administered questionnaires. * Be willing and able to return for all study-related follow-up procedures. * Able and willing to give informed consent. * Proficient in the English language. Exclusion Criteria: In-Clinic: * Patients planning on undergoing a Primary Reverse Shoulder Total Arthroplasty due to proximal humeral fracture. * Previous shoulder surgery including previous total shoulder arthroplasty or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty, or instability repairs * Active bacterial infection of the shoulder. * Any concomitant shoulder procedure. * Additional ipsilateral or contralateral upper limb pathology that requires active treatment (i.e. surgery or brace). * Inflammatory arthropathy. * Diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis * Diagnosed with gout. * Subject is on chronic anticoagulation due to a bleeding disorder or has taken anticoagulants within 10 days prior to surgery. * Peripheral vascular disease or other vascular disorders that would impair healing. * Peripheral neuropathy or other neurological disorders that may impair the patient to ambulate. * Patient is on workers compensation. * Any condition requiring chemotherapy. * Active tobacco user or former tobacco user who is not free of using tobacco for 8 weeks. * Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus with an HbA1C \> 7.5%. * Current drug or alcohol abuse. * Major medical illness (life expectancy less then 2 years or unacceptably high operative risk) * Suspicion of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy. * Deltoid insufficiency on physical examination. Intra-operative: • Iatrogenic glenoid fracture Post-operative: * Neurological injury of the upper extremity. * Complications from Primary Reverse Shoulder Total Arthroplasty (i.e. post-operative infection, bleeding, hardware failure).
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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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TRIA Orthopaedic Center
RECRUITINGBloomington, Minnesota, 55431, United States
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