ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07372222Updated Sep 16, 2026

Effect of a Posterior Shoulder Pillow on Pain and Sleep Quality After Rotator Cuff Repair

An interventional study of Posterior Shoulder Pillow and Conventional Rehabilitation Protocol in Rotator Cuff Injuries, Postoperative Pain and Sleep Quality, sponsored by Peking University Third Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 40 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-16.

Sponsored by Peking University Third Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
126
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
40 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 14 studies in Rotator Cuff Injuries by Peking University Third Hospital — 6 open to participants now, 6 under way, none of them phase 3. Rotator Cuff Injuries · Peking University Third Hospital.

Started
2026
with 1 other
No phase
6 of 14
5 open now
Registered
13th of 14
by date

Among the 14 studies in Rotator Cuff Injuries by Peking University Third Hospital, this one is one of 2 that started in 2026, is one of 6 with no phase, and was the 13th registered.

By phase

14 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

Observational8 · 1 open
No phasethis study6 · 5 open

By the year they started

First in 2012; this study’s year is marked. 2 started in 2026.

Size and results

Median enrollment 61 across the 6 interventional studies, 167 across the 8 observational. Of the 6 that completed or were terminated, 0 (0%) have results posted.

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 14 studies in Rotator Cuff Injuries by Peking University Third Hospital, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

The goal of this clinical study is to learn if using a special pillow placed behind the shoulder can help to reduce pain and improve sleep for patients after surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Do patients who choose to use the posterior shoulder pillow have lower pain levels after surgery?
  • Do these patients report better sleep quality during recovery?
  • How safe and comfortable is the pillow for patients to use? Researchers will compare patients who use the pillow to those who do not use it to see if there is a difference in their recovery.

Participants will:

  • Be asked about their willingness to use the pillow. Their treatment and recovery plan will be decided together with their doctor.
  • Be asked to rate their pain and sleep quality several times after surgery: at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks.
  • Have their shoulder function assessed by a clinician at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after surgery.
  • Receive a standard MRI scan before and 6 weeks after surgery as part of their regular medical care to check on healing.
03

Conditions studied

  • Rotator Cuff Injuries
  • Postoperative Pain
  • Sleep Quality

Keywords

  • Pillows
  • Rotator Cuff Repair
  • Postoperative Pain
  • Sleep Quality
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
40 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear, confirmed by imaging (MRI or ultrasound), and deemed suitable for either single-row or double-row arthroscopic repair surgery.
  • Age between 40 and 70 years.
  • Willing and able to provide written to participate in the study.
  • Demonstrates good compliance with postoperative rehabilitation and follow-up requirements.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of concomitant shoulder pathologies, such as glenohumeral osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis, history of labral repair, or irreparable tendon tears.
  • Pre-existing severe shoulder infection, tumor, or other conditions that may significantly impact postoperative recovery.
  • Previous history of shoulder surgery or severe shoulder deformity that could confound the assessment of postoperative outcomes.
  • Cognitive impairment or inability to understand the pain assessment tools (e.g., VAS score).
  • Significant comorbidities affecting the heart, liver, or kidneys, or requiring long-term use of medications that affect coagulation (e.g., aspirin).
  • Diagnosis of malignant tumors or rheumatic diseases that may interfere with postoperative recovery.
  • MRI findings indicating significant fatty infiltration (>50%) or tendon retraction, suggesting potential compromise in surgical outcome and recovery.
  • Superior migration of the humeral head or obliteration of the coracoacromial space, indicating a high difficulty of rotator cuff repair.
  • to postoperative rehabilitation exercises, such as severe osteoporosis or neuromuscular diseases.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
126 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Posterior Pillow Group

    Patients who receive the standardized use of the posterior shoulder pillow in addition to the conventional rehabilitation protocol.

    Device: Posterior Shoulder Pillow · Other: Conventional Rehabilitation Protocol

  • Active comparator
    Conventional Rehabilitation Group

    Patients who receive the conventional rehabilitation protocol only, without standardized use of the pillow.

    Other: Conventional Rehabilitation Protocol

Interventions

  • DevicePosterior Shoulder Pillow

    This is a standardized protocol for using a regular hospital ward pillow placed behind the shoulder (between the scapula and the bed) after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Patients in the intervention group are instructed to start using the pillow within 24 hours after surgery and maintain its use during rest and sleep for the 6-week study period. The pillow aims to provide support and improve comfort.

  • OtherConventional Rehabilitation Protocol

    This is the standard post-operative care for patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. It includes cryotherapy (ice packs), pharmacological analgesia (pain medication), and a progressive program of functional exercises guided by a physical therapist. This protocol is administered to all patients in the study, regardless of group assignment.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain Score Measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

    The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain is a 100-mm horizontal line where 0 mm represents "no pain" and 100 mm represents "the worst pain imaginable." Higher scores indicate worse pain.

    Time frame: From pre-operation (baseline) to 6 weeks post-operation.

  2. Sleep Quality Measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) assesses sleep quality over a 1-month interval. The global PSQI score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality.

    Time frame: From pre-operation (baseline) to 6 weeks post-operation.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Shoulder Function

    Assessed by the Constant-Murley Score (CMS). The score ranges from 0 to 100, assessing pain, activities of daily living, range of motion, and strength, with higher scores indicating better function.

    Time frame: From pre-operation (baseline) to 6 weeks post-operation. Measured at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks post-operation.

  2. Tendon Healing Status Assessed by the Sugaya Classification on MRI

    Tendon integrity and healing will be evaluated on MRI using the Sugaya classification system. This is a 5-point scale (Type I-V) based on signal intensity and thickness of the repaired tendon, where Type I represents a fully healed tendon with sufficient thickness and low signal intensity, and Type V represents a re-tear. Lower grades indicate better tendon healing.

    Time frame: Measured at pre-operation (baseline) and at 6 weeks post-operation.

  3. Muscle Fatty Infiltration Assessed by the Goutallier Classification on MRI

    The degree of fatty infiltration of the supraspinatus muscle will be evaluated on MRI using the Goutallier classification system. This is a 5-stage scale (Grade 0-4), where Grade 0 represents no fatty infiltration and Grade 4 represents \>80% fatty infiltration. Higher grades indicate worse fatty degeneration.

    Time frame: Measured at pre-operation (baseline) and at 6 weeks post-operation.

  4. Incidence of Complications

    The occurrence of any adverse events related to the pillow use or rehabilitation, such as skin pressure ulcers, discomfort caused by the pillow, infection, etc.

    Time frame: From immediately after intervention initiation up to 6 weeks post-operation. Assessed at each follow-up visit (24 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks).

Other outcomes

  1. Subgroup Analysis of Intervention Effects

    To explore the consistency of the intervention effect across different subgroups, as pre-specified in the study protocol. Subgroups are defined by: * Surgical technique (single-row vs. double-row suture repair) * Tear size/grade of rotator cuff tear

    Time frame: Assessed at the end of the study (after 6-week data collection).

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Dec 2027, 15 months later.

Of 228 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Rotator Cuff Injuries, half reached primary completion within 19 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 39. This study's planned 15 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 252 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 44.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 5, 2026
First posted
Jan 28, 2026
StartEst.
Sep 2026
Primary completionEst.
Dec 15, 2027
CompletionEst.
Dec 15, 2027
Last update
Sep 16, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 16, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07372222
Responsible party
Liu Zhenlong (Associate Chief Physician, Peking University Third Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 28, 2026
Start date
Sep 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 15, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 15, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 16, 2026

Study contacts

Zhenlong Liu
Contact
zhenlong_liu@bjmu.edu.cn
13261993917

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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