The Effect of Osteopathic Visceral Manipulation on Pain, Mobility and Functional Disability in Patients With Right Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis

July 14, 2026 updated by: Bilinç Doğruöz Karatekin, Istanbul Medeniyet University
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding osteopathic visceral manipulation (OVM) to a standard physical therapy program on pain, functional disability, and range of motion (ROM) in patients diagnosed with right shoulder adhesive capsulitis (AC). A total of 49 patients aged between 40 and 65 years who were diagnosed with right shoulder AC were included in the study. Randomized patients received a standard physical therapy program for three weeks, consisting of 15 sessions (5 days per week) in both treatment groups. The standard program included hot pack application to the shoulder region for 20 min, conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for 20 min, and ultrasound therapy at 1.5 W/cm² for 10 min. In addition to the standard physical therapy program, Group 1 (n=25) received OVM once weekly, while Group 2 (n=24) received sham OVM once weekly. Pain was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), while functional disability was evaluated using the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPDI). The ROM values were also recorded.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
56

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Goztepe Suleyman Yalcin Sehir Hastanesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Klinigi

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 65 years
  • Presence of pain originating from the right shoulder region persisting for at least 6 weeks
  • Availability of two-view shoulder radiographs obtained prior to the study to exclude causes of shoulder pain other than AC
  • No local corticosteroid injection for shoulder pain within the previous 6 months
  • No physical therapy administered for shoulder pain within the previous 6 months
  • No use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during the study period

  • Availability of laboratory assessments including:

    • Complete blood count (CBC)
    • Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
    • Liver function tests (AST, ALT)
    • C-reactive protein (CRP)
  • Pain intensity score of at least 4 cm on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-10 cm)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of shoulder fracture on the affected side
  • Prior shoulder surgery
  • History of traumatic shoulder instability (subluxation or dislocation)
  • History of shoulder or visceral organ surgery within the past 6 months
  • History of systemic or inflammatory disease or malignancy
  • Presence of metabolic or endocrine bone disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Neurological disorders affecting upper extremity function
  • Psychiatric disorders that could interfere with treatment compliance or symptom evaluation
  • Use of antiplatelet medication
  • Previous osteopathic treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group 1 (OVM group, n=28) received a standard physical therapy program
Other: physical therapy program
In the OVM group, mobilization of the liver and diaphragm was performed. Liver mobilization was applied in three planes (coronal, transverse, and sagittal) for 5 min each, totaling 15 min, while the diaphragm technique was applied for 2 min.
Sham Comparator: Group 2 (Sham group, n=28) received the same standard physical therapy program
Other: Sham (No Treatment)
In the sham OVM group, light pressure and touch were applied with the palm over the same points selected for OVM, without the intention of providing therapeutic effect.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Pain (VAS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Active shoulder ROM for abduction, flexion, internal rotation, and external rotation
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Istanbul Medeniyet University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 10, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 15, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 14, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2022/0670

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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