The Effect of PNF and Shoulder Stabilization Exercises on Pain, QoL and Functionality in Patient With AC

February 16, 2024 updated by: osman coban, Uskudar University

The Effect of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and Shoulder Stabilization Exercises on Pain, Quality of Life and Functionality in Adhesive Capsulitis Treatment

Adhesive capsulitis (AC), also known as frozen shoulder, is an insidious, painful condition of the shoulder lasting more than 3 months. This inflammatory condition causing fibrosis of the glenohumeral joint capsule is accompanied by gradual progressive stiffness and marked limitation of range of motion (typically external rotation). Patients experiencing this condition often suffer from poor quality of life due to the limitation of both the active and passive range of shoulder mobility. The prevalence of frozen shoulder is between 2-5% and is more common in women. Along with the increase in comorbidities and changes in lifestyle, the incidence of FS is increasing. However, the natural history and pathogenesis of adhesive capsulitis have not been widely studied and are still unknown. Adhesive capsulitis presents clinically as shoulder pain with progressive restricted movement, both active and passive, with normal radiographic scans of the glenohumeral joint. Classically, it progresses prognostically with 3 overlapping stages: pain (stage 1, lasting 2-9 months), stiffness (stage 2, lasting 4-12 months), and healing (stage 3, lasting 5-24 months). However, this is an estimated time frame and many patients may still experience symptoms after 6 years. Treatment modalities include conservative (ie, steroid injection, physiotherapy) and operative (ie, distension arthrography, manipulation under anesthesia, and arthroscopic release).

Various physical therapy treatments commonly used in the treatment of adhesive capsulitis include ice pack, hot pack, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and active and passive ROM exercises, joint mobilization techniques, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), supervised home exercise programs, and Kinesio taping.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

There are studies on the application of PNF techniques in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), sports injuries, orthopedics, cardiorespiratory and neurological conditions developed by Knott and Kabat. Recently, the application of these techniques in orthopedic conditions has been developing. However, studies have been conducted to find out the effect of PNF therapy on Adhesive Capsulitis, but there is conflicting evidence between them. Although some studies have suggested PNF, determining which technique is better in the treatment of AC remains controversial and needs to be answered. Therefore, in our study, it was aimed to compare the effects and advantages of proprioceptive neuromuscular exercises and shoulder stabilization exercises applied in the treatment of patients with Adhesive capsulitis and to evaluate the acute effects of these exercises on shoulder movements.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • 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

      • Istanbul, Turkey
        • Uskudar University Health Science

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

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged 20- 65 years diagnosed with unilateral Stage II adhesive capsulitis by magnetic resonance imaging
  • Shoulder pain persisting for at least 3 months
  • VAS pain score equal to or greater than 5/10
  • Patients who agreed to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Receiving physical therapy or manual therapy on the same shoulder within 1 year
  • Having mental and cognitive problems,
  • Patients who have undergone surgical procedure/injection/manipulation to the shoulder joint for any reason
  • Neurological disorders that affect shoulder function during daily activities
  • Pain or discomfort in the cervical spine, elbow, wrist, or hand
  • Other pathological conditions concerning the shoulder (rotator cuff tear, tendinitis, etc.)

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PNF Group

After classical physiotherapy consisting of 40 minutes of hot pack, TENS, US and Exercise (a set of stretching exercises including Wand and Codman pendulum exercises) was applied by an experienced Physiotherapist, additional PNF exercises were performed once a day, 5 times a week by the same Physiotherapist in the cases in the PNF group. It will be applied for a total of 3 weeks (Total of 15 sessions).

  1. PNF contract-relax to subscapularis and internal rotators (7 Sec of contraction and 15 Sec of relaxation in external rotation, 5 repetitions) Followed by facilitation of D2 Flexion patterns for 5 repetitions.
  2. PNF all scapular patterns with Rhythmic initiation and repeated contractions Technique .
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) techniques are a therapeutic exercise approach developed based on functional activities in daily life. At the stage of regaining movement and function, it creates models similar to functional activities.
Other: Stabilization Group

After classical physiotherapy consisting of 40 minutes of hot pack, TENS, US and Exercise (a set of stretching exercises including Wand and Codman pendulum exercises) was applied by an experienced Physiotherapist, stabilization exercises were performed by the same Physiotherapist once a day, 5 times a week, for a total of 5 times a week. It will be applied for 3 weeks (Total of 15 sessions).

  1. scapular stabilization exercises
  2. stabilization exercise for the shoulder joints.

In all the exercises, the subjects maintained the position for 10 seconds, and they took a rest for 3 seconds. Ten repetitions was considered one set, and the subjects conducted three sets. A break of 3 minutes was given between each set.

Scapular stabilization exercise and stabilization exercise for the shoulder joints

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Evaluation
Time Frame: Change from baseline to week 3
The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is used to convert some values that cannot be measured numerically. Two end definitions of the parameter to be evaluated are written at the two ends of a 100 mm line, and the patient is asked to draw a line on this line to indicate where his condition is appropriate.
Change from baseline to week 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Manual Muscle Testing
Time Frame: Change from baseline to week 3
During the testing of muscle strength without using any device ("manual muscle testing"), the evaluation system (Medical Research Council (MRC)) scale, which is widely used all over the world, is used. It is the evaluation of motion in the context of gravity.
Change from baseline to week 3
DASH (Arm, Shoulder and Hand Problems Questionnaire)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to week 3
The DASH questionnaire consists of 3 parts. The first part consists of 30 questions. 21 questions evaluate the degree of difficulty of the patient in daily activities, 5 questions evaluate the symptomatic features of pain, and 4 questions evaluate social function, self-confidence and sleep.
Change from baseline to week 3
Joint Range of Motion
Time Frame: Change from baseline to week 3
A Goniometer is the most common tool for measuring range of motion of the joints of the body. It uses a stationary arm, fulcrum, and movement arm to measure joint angles from the axis of the joint. Making a ROM measurement by using a goniometer requires training for reliable results. See the goniometry collection of pages for instructions on how to correctly (reliably and accurately) place the goniometer when measuring range of motion.
Change from baseline to week 3
Short Form 12 (SF-12)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to week 3
SF-12, a measure of Health-Related Quality of Life, can be used in age, disease and treatment groups. It is a shortened version of the SF-36 and contains 12 questions, each with two to five answer options. The patient is told to choose the option that best suits him/her. The SF-12 covers eight dimensions: general health, physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health. A physical and mental health score, each ranging from 0 to 100, can be calculated using scoring algorithms. Scores are calibrated to a mean score of 50, or the norm, with lower scores representing worse and higher scores representing better Health-Related Quality of Life.
Change from baseline to week 3

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: safiye gul abat, PT, Uskudar University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

March 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

January 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 10, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 21, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

April 4, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 20, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 16, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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.

Clinical Trials on Adhesive Capsulitis

Clinical Trials on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

Subscribe