Effects of Deltoid Strengthening Exercises in Patients With Adhesive Capsulitis

June 8, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of Deltoid Strengthening Exercises on Pain, Range of Motion, Muscle Strength and Disability in Patients With Adhesive Capsulitis

Adhesive capsulitis, also known as frozen shoulder, is a musculoskeletal condition that causes significant shoulder pain and restricted joint mobility. It affects the glenohumeral joint and is commonly seen in individuals between the ages of 40 and 60 year. It affects 3 to 5% of the general population with a higher prevalence among females and patients with diabetes or thyroid disorders. Adhesive capsulitis progresses in four stages: painful, freezing, frozen, and thawing, and the condition may persist for 1 to 2 years. This study aims to determine the effects of Deltoid Strengthening Exercises on pain, range of motion, muscle strength and disability in patients with Adhesive Capsulitis.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will be a Randomized Controlled Trial and will be conducted in Physiotherapy Outpatient Department of Tehsil Head Quarter Hospital, Daska. Non-Probability Convenience Sampling will be used to collect the data. A sample of subjects aged 40 to 60 years with stage II and III adhesive capsulitis will be selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Outcome measures will include Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) for disability, Goniometer for Range of Motion, and Arm Abduction and Lowering Test for muscle strength. 48 subjects will be divided into two groups, 24 in each group by random number generator table. Both groups will receive a standard physical therapy protocol consisting of Ultrasound, Glenohumeral Mobilization and Home Exercises. In addition to standard physical therapy protocol, Group A will receive Deltoid Strengthening Exercises: Week 1: Isometric exercises (1×10 reps); Week 2 : Theraband exercises (1×10 reps); Week 3 - Dumbbell exercises with 1 kg (1×10 reps) and Week 4: Dumbbell exercises with 1.5 kg (1×10 reps), targeting anterior, middle, and posterior Deltoid. Group B will receive only the standard physiotherapy protocol without strengthening. Outcome measures will be measured at baseline and after 4 weeks. Data analysis will be done by SPSS version 25.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

48

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 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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Both male and female gender

    • Subjects with age ranging from 40 to 60 years
    • Subjects with stage II and III adhesive capsulitis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Subjects with rotator cuff tears

    • Subjects with glenohumeral arthritis

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: Deltoid strengthening exercises

Deltoid Strengthening Exercises:

  • Deltoid Isometrics
  • Dumb bell Strengthening Exercises
  • Theraband Strengthening Exercises
Other: Exercises

a) Deltoid Isometrics

The following isometrics of Deltoid will be performed:

  • Anterior Deltoid: Front Raise Isometrics Isometrics of Anterior Deltoid will be performed. The arm is raised to 90 shoulder flexion. The elbows are slightly flexed (5 degrees) while the subject is pushing isometric upward against manual resistance provided by the therapist
  • Middle Deltoid: Lateral Raise Isometrics The arm will be abducted to the horizontal position. The humerus is slightly flexed about thirty degrees while the elbows are kept in a static, slightly flexed position. The arms are lifted isometric upward against resistance provided by the therapist
  • Posterior Deltoid: Reverse Fly Isometrics The participant sits on a chair with trunk bent from the horizontal with the arms pointing toward the floor. The arms are raised until the upper arms are horizontal, while the elbows were in a static, slightly flexed position. The subject pushes upward against resistance provided by the therapist
Active Comparator: Standard Physical therapy
Ultrasound Glenohumeral Distraction Manual therapy Codman's Pendulum Exercise Finger Ladder exercise Wand Exercise
Other: Standard Physical therapy
Ultrasound Glenohumeral Distraction Manual therapy Codman's Pendulum Exercise Finger Ladder exercise Wand Exercise

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain-Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Time Frame: upto 4 weeks
In current study, patients with Adhesive Capsulitis having Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score of greater or equal to 3 and less than 7 will be included. Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is used to measure pain levels in all subjects. NPRS is self-reported, single-dimensional 11 point scale between 0 and 10. The NPRS has a moderate test-retest reliability in patients with a primary complaint of shoulder pain with ICC=0.74, MCID of 1.1 points and MDC of 2.5 points.
upto 4 weeks
Disability-Shoulder Pain and Disability Index
Time Frame: upto 4 weeks
Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis having Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) score of 41 to 60 will be included in the current study. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is used for measuring the level of disability in patients. This self-administered index consists of 13 items divided into two subscales: 5 items for pain and 8 items for disability. It is a practical outcome measure that will be completed by patients in less than 5 min and will be scored by clinician. It has a high internal consistency with Cronbach α typically exceeding 0.90 and a good test-retest reliability with ICC values ranging from 0.84 to 0.95. When the SPADI is used more than once on the same subject i.e. at initial consultation and then at discharge, the minimal detectible change (MDC 95%) is 18 points
upto 4 weeks
Range of motion-Universal Goniometer
Time Frame: upto 4 weeks
Adhesive capsulitis' patients have a capsular pattern of restriction of glenohumeral joint. Universal goniometer (UG) will be used to measure external rotation, internal rotation, abduction and flexion. Universal Goniometer is defined as a high-resolution plastic goniometer that permits observation of the axis of motion and ROM of the joint being measured. UG has been considered the gold standard for clinical assessment of ROM. It has a good reliability for AROM with ICC ranging from 0.53 to 0.65, and SEM calculated to be 14-25.
upto 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Noha Arshad, MSPT*, Riphah International 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 (Estimated)

June 6, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 6, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 6, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR&AHS/25/0115 Noha

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.

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