Balloon or bone shaving: which fixes torn shoulder best?
NCT ID NCT06735170
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two surgeries for people with large, irreparable rotator cuff tears. One surgery smooths the bone (tuberoplasty), the other places a small balloon spacer under the shoulder. Researchers will track shoulder motion and pain relief in 40 adults to see which approach works better.
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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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
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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65 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.
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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: * Massive irreparable rotator cuff tear involving the supraspinatus and infraspinatus. * No involvement of the subscapularis. * Centered humeral head on X-ray examination. * Primary complaint of pain. * History of prior surgery, including failed rotator cuff repair. Exclusion Criteria: * Involvement of the subscapularis. * Acromiohumeral distance less than 7 mm on upright anterior-posterior (AP) radiograph. * Rotator cuff deemed repairable at the time of surgery. * Patients younger than 65 years due to FDA clearance of the subacromial balloon spacer only for patients over 65
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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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University of Minnesota
RECRUITINGMinneapolis, Minnesota, 55414, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Brain signals and resilience: the hidden side of rotator cuff recovery
- MRI and biomarkers may predict rotator cuff repair success
- Can targeted nerve blocks ease shoulder surgery pain?
- Can treating the mind heal the shoulder? a surgery study investigates
- New anchors aim to keep shoulders and hips stable after injury
- Patch aims to cut rotator cuff Re-Tear rate after surgery