An interventional study of Spencer technique and scapular motor training and Ola Grimsby technique and scapular motor training in Idiopathic Adhesive Capsulitis, sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 40 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-29.
Sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Adhesive capsulitis (also known as frozen shoulder) causes pain and stiffness in the joint. It can interfere with such ordinary activities as dressing, reaching up to a shelf and lying on the affected side at night and may last for months . Manual therapy is a typical treatment component, but it remains unclear to clinicians which technique is most effective . The two hands-on techniques, the Spencer technique and the Ola Grimsby techniques will be compared in a randomized clinical trial of both techniques combined with the scapular motor training programme. Idiopathic adhesive capsulitis patients will be randomly assigned to either of two treatments groups and undergo treatment three times weekly for six weeks. Baseline and after last session pain, shoulder range of motion and disability will be recorded. The goal is to determine if one technique is more effective than the other (when it is trained concurrently with it) when training scapular control.
383 studies on the registry are indexed under Bursitis; 111 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 32 is below the median of 44 across 346 interventional studies indexed under Bursitis.
Browse Bursitis studies →University of Management and Technology Lahore is the lead sponsor of 39 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.
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Patients diagnosed with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) based on clinical examination (painful and restricted active and passive glenohumeral range of motion in capsular pattern).
Age group between 40 and 60 years Both genders Presence of painful and restricted shoulder movements in at least two planes, particularly external rotation and abduction.
Shoulder pain more than 3 months Stage 2 idiopathic adhesive capsulitis. NPRS scoring 3 to 6
Exclusion Criteria:
Secondary adhesive capsulitis associated with diabetes mellitus (uncontrolled), thyroid disorders, cardiac surgery, or post-immobilization.
History of shoulder fracture, dislocation, or surgical intervention on the affected side.
Cervical radiculopathy or neurological involvement in the upper limb. Systemic inflammatory arthropathies (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematous).
Intra-articular injection within the preceding eight weeks. Active or bone involving the shoulder girdle. Pregnancy
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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.
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.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive the Spencer technique, a seven-stage osteopathic muscle energy sequence that works through shoulder extension, flexion, circumduction with compression, circumduction with traction, abduction with elbow flexion, internal rotation, and a final stage of traction with rhythmic pumping. Each stage is repeated about 3 to 5 times, moving from the most pain-free direction to the most restricted Scapular motor training follows straight after
Other: Spencer technique and scapular motor training
Ola Grimsby glenohumeral joint mobilization with inferior glide, posterior glide and anterior glide, from the resting position of the joint in the direction of the capsule that is restricted. The Ola Grimsby approach is followed for treatment, as in previous adhesive capsulitis trials Graded mobilization, Grade I and II oscillations for initial sessions when pain is the primary issue, then Grade III and IV sustained or oscillatory stretches when stiffness is the principal limiting factor. Posterior glide is prioritized when external rotation is most restricted. and higher grade mobilization is employed as pain subsides . Dosage: 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds in each direction of glide depending on the level of shoulder irritation. And follows the therapeutic exercise program and functional training
Other: Ola Grimsby technique and scapular motor training
Participants receive the Spencer technique, a seven-stage osteopathic muscle energy sequence that works through shoulder extension, flexion, circumduction with compression, circumduction with traction, abduction with elbow flexion, internal rotation, and a final stage of traction with rhythmic pumping. Each stage is repeated about 3 to 5 times, moving from the most pain-free direction to the most restricted. Scapular motor training follows straight after
Ola Grimsby glenohumeral joint mobilization with inferior glide, posterior glide and anterior glide, from the resting position of the joint in the direction of the capsule that is restricted. The Ola Grimsby approach is followed for treatment, as in previous adhesive capsulitis trials . Graded mobilization, Grade I and II oscillations for initial sessions when pain is the primary issue, then Grade III and IV sustained or oscillatory stretches when stiffness is the principal limiting factor. Posterior glide is prioritized when external rotation is most restricted and higher grade mobilization is employed as pain subsides . Dosage: 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds in each direction of glide depending on the level of shoulder irritation. And follows the therapeutic exercise program and functional training
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
Pain intensity was assessed using the 11-point NPRS, ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). (7)It demonstrates good responsiveness in patients with low back pain, with approximately 2 points considered a clinically important change
Time frame: baseline and after 6 weeks
Goniometric range of motion
The smartphone inclinometer is a mobile version of a medical device called an inclinometer that can be used to measure joint range of motion (ROM) accurately and objectively. It uses the smartphone's sensors to determine angle of displacement and outputs the reading in degrees. Smartphones are valid, reliable, cost-effective tools to measure shoulder ROM in real-world clinical and research settings
Time frame: baseline and after 6 weeks
Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI).
A 13-item questionnaire with a 5-item pain subscale and an 8-item disability subscale (4). Each item is scored from 0 to 10 and the total is converted to a percentage from 0 to 100, where a higher score means more pain and disability. I
Time frame: baseline and after 6 weeks
Plan to share: Yes — The results data collected , de-identified individual participant data will be shared.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form
Time frame: 6 months after the publication of the manuscript
Access criteria: The data can be requested from the corresponding author
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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University of Management and Technology Lahore