Operative vs Non Operative Management of Adhesive Capsulitis: A Comparative Review (MAC)

February 12, 2026 updated by: Ahmed Salah Ahmed, Al-Azhar University

Recent Trends in Management of Adhesive Capsulitis Operative vs Non-Operative : A Comparative Study

Adhesive capsulitis is a common disabling shoulder condition characterized by pain and progressive restriction of shoulder motion. This study aims to compare recent non-operative vs operative treatment modalities for adhesive capsulitis based on previously published literature to identify current trends and outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a comparative review of previously published clinical studies evaluating non-operative management options for adhesive capsulitis, including physiotherapy protocols, intra-articular corticosteroid injections, hydrodilatation, platelet-rich plasma injections, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy Vs operative Management including Arthroscopic release and movement under general anesthesia.Outcomes such as pain relief, functional improvement, and range of motion are analyzed and compared. The study aims to provide an updated perspective on the most effective non-surgical interventions for frozen shoulder and guide future clinical practice.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

1

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

  • Egypt
      • Cairo, Egypt
        • faculty of medicine Azhar university

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study is a systematic comparative review of previously published studies evaluating Operative Vs non-operative management strategies for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder).

The aim is to compare the effectiveness of various conservative treatment modalities, including physical therapy, intra-articular injections, and other surgical interventions, on clinical outcomes such as pain reduction, improvement in shoulder function, and range of motion.

No direct patient enrollment is involved, and data will be extracted from peer-reviewed studies to perform the comparative analysis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Published peer-reviewed studies evaluating the management of adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder).
  • Studies involving adult patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with primary adhesive capsulitis.
  • Studies assessing non-operative management, operative management, or both.
  • Randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and systematic reviews.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Studies involving secondary adhesive capsulitis (e.g., post-traumatic, post-surgical, or associated with fractures).
  • Studies including patients younger than 18 years.
  • Incomplete or insufficient outcome data.
  • Case reports, expert opinions, letters, and conference abstracts without full text.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Non-operative Management Group
Data extracted from published studies evaluating non-operative management of adhesive capsulitis, including physiotherapy, pharmacological treatment, and intra-articular injections.
Other: Non Operative management
Non-operative treatment strategies for adhesive capsulitis as reported in previously published clinical studies included in this systematic review.
Operative Management Group (Literature-based)
Data extracted from published studies evaluating operative management of adhesive capsulitis after failure of conservative treatment.
Procedure: Operative Management (Literature-based)
Data extracted from published studies evaluating operative management of adhesive capsulitis after failure of conservative treatment.
Other Names:
  • Arthroscopic Release
  • Movement under GA

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in shoulder pain intensity
Time Frame: Up to 6 months
Change in shoulder pain intensity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), reported as a score from 0 to 10. Outcomes will be compared among different Operative and non-operative treatment modalities for adhesive capsulitis as reported in the included studies.
Up to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in shoulder range of motion
Time Frame: Up to 6 months
Change in active shoulder range of motion measured in degrees using a goniometer. Each shoulder movement (forward flexion, abduction, and external rotation) will be analyzed separately as reported in the published studies included in this systematic review.
Up to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Al-Azhar 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)

January 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 12, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AZU-ORTHO-AC-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This study is a systematic comparative review of previously published studies on non-operative management of adhesive capsulitis. No individual participant data were collected directly. Therefore, there are no IPD to share.

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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