Comparison of Supervised Rehabilitation and Home Exercise Programs in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (SAIS-REHAB)

May 5, 2026 updated by: Merve Kurt-Aydin, Izmir Katip Celebi University

Comparison of the Effectiveness of a Physiotherapist-Supervised Rehabilitation Program and Home Exercise Education in Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of physiotherapist-supervised rehabilitation and home exercise programs in individuals with subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS). SAIS is a common musculoskeletal disorder characterized by shoulder pain, reduced range of motion, and functional limitations, negatively affecting quality of life.

Participants diagnosed with SAIS will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a supervised rehabilitation group, a home exercise group, or a control group. Randomization will be performed using an online randomization tool. Individuals in the supervised rehabilitation group will receive a structured physiotherapy program administered by a physiotherapist, while those in the home exercise group will perform a standardized exercise program at home following initial instruction. Participants in the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period and will be assessed only.

Outcome measures including pain intensity, upper extremity function, range of motion, grip strength, sleep quality, and quality of life will be evaluated at baseline and after the intervention period. The results of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of supervised and home-based exercise approaches in the management of SAIS.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS) is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain, leading to decreased range of motion, muscle weakness, functional limitations, and reduced quality of life. Exercise-based rehabilitation is considered a primary conservative treatment approach. However, access to supervised physiotherapy services may be limited due to long waiting times and healthcare system constraints. Home exercise programs may serve as an alternative, but evidence comparing their effectiveness with supervised rehabilitation remains limited.

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of physiotherapist-supervised rehabilitation and home exercise programs in individuals with SAIS. A total of 63 participants who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited and randomly assigned into three groups: supervised rehabilitation, home exercise, and control.

Randomization will be performed using an online randomization tool. Participants allocated to the supervised rehabilitation group will receive a structured rehabilitation program consisting of pain management modalities, range of motion exercises, strengthening exercises, and functional training under the supervision of a physiotherapist, five days per week for four weeks. The home exercise group will receive a structured exercise program including stretching, strengthening, and mobility exercises after a single training session and will continue the program independently at home. Participants in the control group will not receive any intervention during the study period and will be included in the supervised rehabilitation program after the final assessment.

Outcome measures will include pain intensity assessed by Visual Analog Scale, upper extremity function assessed by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH), shoulder range of motion measured by goniometer, grip strength measured by dynamometer, sleep quality assessed by a single-item sleep quality scale, and quality of life assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention period.

The findings of this study will contribute to the literature by providing evidence on the comparative effectiveness of supervised rehabilitation and home-based exercise programs and may guide clinical decision-making in the management of SAIS.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

63

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kırşehir
      • Kırşehir, Kırşehir, Turkey (Türkiye), 40100
        • Recruiting
        • Kırşehir Ahi Evran University
        • Contact:

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Voluntary participation in the study
  • Literate in Turkish
  • Aged between 30 and 65 years
  • No visual or hearing impairment
  • Diagnosed with unilateral subacromial impingement syndrome by a specialist physician
  • Positive painful arc test, Infraspinatus test, and Hawkins-Kennedy test
  • Pain during overhead activities

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a mental or psychological disorder that may affect study findings
  • Inadequate cooperation
  • History of upper extremity fracture within the last 6 months
  • Presence of cervical neurological symptoms
  • Glenohumeral instability
  • Acromioclavicular joint pathology
  • Full-thickness rotator cuff tear or total rupture
  • Signs of glenohumeral osteoarthritis
  • History of frozen shoulder

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: Supervised Rehabilitation
Participants in this group will receive a physiotherapist-supervised rehabilitation program five days per week for four weeks. The program will include pain management approaches, stretching exercises, range of motion exercises, scapular stabilization exercises, strengthening exercises, and activity modification training according to standard physiotherapy procedures.
Behavioral: Supervised Rehabilitation Program
A physiotherapist-supervised rehabilitation program including pain management approaches, stretching exercises, range of motion exercises, scapular stabilization exercises, strengthening exercises, and activity modification training administered five days per week for four weeks.
Experimental: Home Exercise Program
Participants in this group will receive a structured home exercise program after an education session. The program will include stretching, range of motion, scapular stabilization, and strengthening exercises to be performed independently at home for four weeks.
Behavioral: Home Exercise Program
A structured home exercise program including stretching, range of motion, scapular stabilization, and strengthening exercises performed independently at home for four weeks following an education session.
No Intervention: Control
Participants in this group will not receive any intervention during the four-week study period. Baseline and follow-up assessments will be performed. Individuals who are required to wait more than four weeks before starting physiotherapy sessions will be included in this group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (0-10 cm) during rest, activity, and night pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity.
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Upper Extremity Function
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Upper extremity function will be assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire-Short Form (DASH-SF; 0-100). Higher scores indicate greater disability.
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Shoulder Range of Motion
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation range of motion will be measured using a universal goniometer.
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Grip Strength
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Grip strength of the affected upper extremity will be assessed using a hand dynamometer.
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (0-10). Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Quality of Life-WHOQOL-BREF
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)
Quality of life will be assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Higher scores indicate better quality of life
Baseline (Day 0, prior to intervention) and Week 4 (end of intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Izmir Katip Celebi University

Collaborators

Kirsehir Ahi Evran Universitesi

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)

December 2, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 2, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 2, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2520

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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 Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

Clinical Trials on Supervised Rehabilitation Program

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Jamaica

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe