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New study settles debate: surgery or PT for torn rotator cuff?

NCT ID NCT03295994

Disease control Sponsor: University of Michigan Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study compared surgery to physical therapy for people with rotator cuff tears (a common cause of shoulder pain). 187 adults aged 40-84 with MRI-confirmed tears were randomly assigned to either arthroscopic surgery or physical therapy. The goal was to see which treatment better improves shoulder pain and function over time.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery and physical therapy
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help doctors and patients decide whether surgery or physical therapy is the better first step for treating rotator cuff tears.
What could go wrong
This trial is completed but relatively small (187 people). Results may not apply to everyone, and individual outcomes can vary widely.

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

187 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2018

Finished

Feb 2025

Lead sponsor

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

40 to 84 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged =\>40 years to \<85 years * Shoulder pain and/or loss of range of active motion, strength or function * MRI-confirmed partial- or full-thickness supraspinatus and/or infraspinatus tear of 4cm or less in longitudinal dimension * Medically fit for surgery, defined as Category I-III per American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification * Ability and willingness to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Primary diagnosis is something other than a rotator cuff tear * History (in last 2 years) of shoulder fracture involving the humeral head on affected side * Previous rotator cuff surgery on affected side * Isolated subscapularis \&/or teres minor tear on affected side * Acute rotator cuff tear caused by a severe trauma * Shoulder used as a weight-bearing joint * Contraindication to MRI (claustrophobia, pacemaker, pregnancy, shoulder implant, etc.) * Glenohumeral osteoarthritis on xrays/MRI, as determined by recruiting MD * Grade 4 fatty infiltration of rotator cuff (any tendons) * Candidate for shoulder arthroplasty at baseline * Non-English speaking * Severe problems with maintaining follow-up expected (such as, but not limited to, history of substance abuse, homelessness/incarceration, dementia, brain injury, and psychotic disorders)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Rotator Cuff Injuries rotator cuff syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Rotator cuff tear

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

  • Boston Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States

  • Johns Hopkins

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21218, United States

  • Mayo Clinic

    Phoenix, Arizona, 85054, United States

  • Medical University of South Carolina

    Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States

  • Ortho Tennessee - Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic

    Knoxville, Tennessee, 37922, United States

  • Ortho Virginia

    Richmond, Virginia, 23294, United States

  • Orthopedic Institute

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57105, United States

  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

    Columbus, Ohio, 43202, United States

  • University of California - San Francisco (UCSF)

    San Francisco, California, 94158, United States

  • University of Colorado - Denver

    Denver, Colorado, 80222, United States

  • University of Iowa

    Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

  • University of Kentucky

    Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, United States

  • University of Michigan

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48106, United States

  • University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

  • University of Texas Southwestern

    Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States

  • Washington University

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

  • Western Orthopaedics

    Denver, Colorado, 80218, United States

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