Effects of Nunchaku Exercise for Improving Frozen Shoulder

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age45+
SponsorChinese University of Hong Kong

About this trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate if nunchaku exercise works to treat adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder in middle-aged or older adults. It will also learn about the adherence of this exercise intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does practicing nunchaku exercises help reduce shoulder pain and improve shoulder movement? * Do people stick with nunchaku exercises better, and spend more time practicing on their own, compared with standard exercises for alleviating frozen-shoulder?

Researchers will compare nunchaku exercise to standard exercises for alleviating frozen-shoulder to see if nunchaku exercise works to alleviate frozen shoulder.

Participants will:

* Join small group exercise classes for 12 weeks, doing either nunchaku based exercises or standard exercises designed to help relieve frozen shoulder. * Have their shoulder pain and movement checked three times:

* before training * after 6 weeks of training, * after finishing the 12 week program, and * 12 weeks after the program ends. * Keep a record of their home practice time.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Ethnic Chinese;

Age 45 years or above;

Diagnosed with Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder) and currently in the thawing stage.

Disqualifiers

Presence of secondary causes of shoulder stiffness, including recent trauma, post-surgical stiffness, or structural lesions such as full-thickness rotator cuff tears or severe glenohumeral arthritis;

Receipt of recent shoulder treatments known to influence short-term outcomes, including corticosteroid injections within the past three months, hydrodilatation, manipulation under anesthesia, arthroscopic capsular release within the past six months, or structured shoulder physiotherapy within the past three months;

Presence of somatic conditions that limit their ability to participate safely in exercise (e.g., inability to walk without an assistive device).

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Shoulder Mobilization and Stretching Exercise (SMSE)
  • Nunchaku Exercise

Treatment groups

50 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups