ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07588087Updated May 14, 2026

Effect of Adding Latissimus Dorsi Myofascial Release to Scapular Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation on Pain, Disability, and Range of Motion in Adhesive Capsulitis

An interventional study of Myofascial release+ Scapular Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) hold-relax technique and Scapular PNF hold-relax only in Adhesive Capsulitis, sponsored by Ibadat International University, Islamabad. Recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 35 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-14.

Sponsored by Ibadat International University, Islamabad · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jun 2026, 5 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Apr 2026; still recruiting 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
58
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
35 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) alone versus PNF combined with latissimus dorsi myofascial release on pain, range of motion, and functional disability in patients with stage II adhesive capsulitis; a condition characterized by capsular stiffness, pain, and restricted shoulder mobility, with outcomes assessed using NPRS, goniometry, and SPADI over a 6-week intervention period.

Read the detailed description

Participants diagnosed with stage II adhesive capsulitis will be randomly allocated into two groups. The experimental group will receive latissimus dorsi myofascial release combined with scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) hold-relax technique, while the control group will receive scapular PNF hold-relax technique only. Both interventions will be administered for 6 weeks, with 3 sessions per week. Outcome measures will include Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain intensity, goniometry for shoulder range of motion, latissimus dorsi length test for muscle tightness, and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) for functional disability. Data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26.

02

Conditions studied

  • Adhesive Capsulitis

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03

In context

Bursitis

383 studies on the registry are indexed under Bursitis; 111 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 58 is above the median of 44 across 346 interventional studies indexed under Bursitis.

Browse Bursitis studies →

Lead sponsor

Ibadat International University, Islamabad is the lead sponsor of 53 studies on the registry; 36 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
35 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

  • 1. Age between 35 and 70 years.
  • Both male and female participants.
  • Stiffening (Stage II) phase of frozen shoulder.
  • Pain intensity ≥ 4/10 on NPRS during shoulder movement.
  • Unilateral shoulder involvement.
  • Presence of capsular pattern:ER > ABD > IR limitation
  • Apley's Scratch Test
  • Limited both ROMs
  • Symptom duration between 3 and 9 months.(Di Mascio et al., 2024)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Secondary adhesive capsulitis due to trauma or surgery
  • History of shoulder fracture or dislocation.
  • Bilateral frozen shoulder.
  • Active systemic inflammatory or neurological disease
  • Recent intra-articular injection (within last 3 months)
  • Current anticoagulation therapy or bleeding disorders.
  • Pregnant females.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

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.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
58 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Latissimus dorsi myofascial release and Scapular PNF hold-relax technique. ( Experimental)

    Received latissimus dorsi myofascial release (10-15 minutes, sustained pressure with 90-120 sec holds) combined with scapular PNF hold-relax (posterior elevation-anterior depression pattern; 3 sets × 5 reps, 5-7 sec contraction, 10-15 sec stretch).

    Other: Myofascial release+ Scapular Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) hold-relax technique

  • Active comparator
    Scapular PNF hold-relax only (control)

    Received scapular PNF hold-relax only (same pattern and dosage: 3 sets × 5 reps, 5-7 sec contraction, 10-15 sec stretch),

    Other: Scapular PNF hold-relax only

Interventions

  • OtherMyofascial release+ Scapular Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) hold-relax technique

    Participants in the experimental group will receive a combination of latissimus dorsi myofascial release (MFR) and scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) using the hold-relax technique. Myofascial release will be applied to the latissimus dorsi muscle with the patient positioned in side-lying (affected side up) or supine with the shoulder in flexion. The therapist will apply slow, sustained pressure along the posterior axillary fold and lateral border of the scapula, following the muscle fibers toward the thoracolumbar fascia. The technique will include sustained pressure, longitudinal gliding, and passive shoulder elevation until a tissue resistance barrier is reached. Each stretch will be maintained for 90-120 seconds, with a total MFR duration of approximately 10-15 minutes per session. Following MFR, scapular PNF will be performed using the posterior elevation to anterior depression pattern. The hold-relax technique will involve isometric contractions of 5-7 seco

  • OtherScapular PNF hold-relax only

    Participants in the control group will receive scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) using the hold-relax technique without the addition of myofascial release. The intervention will follow the scapular posterior elevation to anterior depression pattern. Each repetition will include an isometric contraction lasting 5-7 seconds followed by a passive stretch of 10-15 seconds. A total of 3 sets with 5 repetitions per set will be performed in each session, with an overall duration of approximately 20 minutes. In addition, a hot pack will be applied to the affected area for 10-15 minutes prior to the exercise session to promote muscle relaxation. Treatment sessions will be conducted three times per week for a duration of 6 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain Intensity

    Numeric Pain rating scale(NPRS) will be used. It is the numeric version of visual analogue scale used to assess the intensity of pain. The 11-point numeric scale ranges from '0' representing one pain extreme (e.g. "no pain") to '10' representing the other pain extreme. it has moderate to excellent reliability and good validity

    Time frame: baseline to 6 weeks

  2. Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM)

    Measured using a universal goniometer. Shoulder flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation will be assessed at baseline and at 6 weeks.

    Time frame: baseline to 6 weeks

  3. Latissimus Dorsi Length Test

    It is used to check the tightness of latissimus dorsi muscle. The patient is in supine lying with knees bend and back flattened to the floor, arm elevated overhead. if there is tightness of this muscle person's unable to flexed his arm by 180° and compensated by arching its back also with the help of goniometer measurement starts with axis at the humeral head , stationary arm midline to the body and moveable arm parallel to the longitudinal axis of the humerus a normal full length muscle allows the arms to touch the table while shortened muscle not allow them to touch the table.

    Time frame: baseline to 6 weeks

  4. Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI)

    The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is a self-administered questionnaire used to assess pain and functional disability associated with shoulder conditions. It consists of 13 items divided into two subscales: pain (5 items) and disability (8 items). Each item is scored on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain or difficulty and 10 indicates the worst pain or maximum difficulty. The total score is calculated by averaging the scores of both subscales and converting them into a percentage ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater pain and disability.

    Time frame: baseline to 6 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • • Ibadat international hospital • Shaafi international hospital • South East hospital • Fauji Foundation hospital
    Islamabad, Punjab Province 44000, Pakistan
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Teoli D, Sanvictores T, An J. SWOT Analysis. 2023 Sep 4. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537302/ PubMed 30725987 ↗
  • Su S, Guo Y, Parnitzke B, Poerio T, Derosa J. A Voltage-Controlled Strategy for Modular Shono-Type Amination. J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Oct 23;146(42):28663-28668. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c12520. Epub 2024 Oct 14. PubMed 39401528 ↗
  • Elnaggar RK, Elbanna MF, Mahmoud WS, Alqahtani BA. Plyometric exercises: subsequent changes of weight-bearing symmetry, muscle strength and walking performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2019 Dec 1;19(4):507-515. PubMed 31789302 ↗
  • Roach KE, Budiman-Mak E, Songsiridej N, Lertratanakul Y. Development of a shoulder pain and disability index. Arthritis Care Res. 1991 Dec;4(4):143-9. PubMed 11188601 ↗
  • Page MJ, Green S, Kramer S, Johnston RV, McBain B, Chau M, Buchbinder R. Manual therapy and exercise for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Aug 26;2014(8):CD011275. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011275. PubMed 25157702 ↗
  • Fehd HM, Seiffert AE. Looking at the center of the targets helps multiple object tracking. J Vis. 2010 Apr 28;10(4):19.1-13. doi: 10.1167/10.4.19. PubMed 20465338 ↗
  • Harnett G, Collins M. Nursing in rural, remote and isolated settings: a literature review. Rural Remote Health. 2023 Jan;23(1):8159. doi: 10.22605/RRH8159. Epub 2023 Jan 10. PubMed 36802815 ↗
  • Khaled N, Kalbarczyk A, Zavala E, Rahman A, de Boer M, Chakraborty B, Rahman H, Ali H, Haque R, Ayesha K, Siddiqua TJ, Afsana K, Christian P, Thorne-Lyman AL. A formative study of the sociocultural influences on dietary behaviours during pregnancy in rural Bangladesh. Matern Child Nutr. 2024 Oct;20 Suppl 6(Suppl 6):e13713. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13713. Epub 2024 Aug 30. PubMed 39212336 ↗
  • Zhang W, Xia K, Feng Z, Qin Y, Zhou Y, Feng G, Zhu H, Yao Q. Tomato plant growth promotion and drought tolerance conferred by three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is mediated by lipid metabolism. Plant Physiol Biochem. 2024 Mar;208:108478. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108478. Epub 2024 Feb 28. PubMed 38430785 ↗
  • Thayaparan T, Petrovic RM, Achkova DY, Zabinski T, Davies DM, Klampatsa A, Parente-Pereira AC, Whilding LM, van der Stegen SJ, Woodman N, Sheaff M, Cochran JR, Spicer JF, Maher J. CAR T-cell immunotherapy of MET-expressing malignant mesothelioma. Oncoimmunology. 2017 Aug 14;6(12):e1363137. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2017.1363137. eCollection 2017. PubMed 29209570 ↗
  • Ahearn N, McCann PA, Tasker A, Sarangi PP. The influence of rotator cuff pathology on functional outcome in total shoulder replacement. Int J Shoulder Surg. 2013 Oct;7(4):127-31. doi: 10.4103/0973-6042.123509. PubMed 24403759 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 14, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07588087
Lead sponsor
Ibadat International University, Islamabad
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 14, 2026
Start date
Apr 5, 2026
Primary completion
Jun 6, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 8, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
May 14, 2026

Study contacts

Hufsa Naseer, DPT, MS-PT MSK
Contact
hufsanaseer@gmail.com
+3095166821
Fatima Amjad, DPT, MS-PT Sports, PHD Scholar
Contact
Fatima.amjad@uipt.iiui.edu.pk
+3330940975

Oversight

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

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