Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Shoulder Pain, Disability, and Ultrasonographic Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus With Supraspinatus Tendinopathy

Sponsor
Pamukkale University
Study ID
NCT07784543
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

Notify me when recruiting opens

Save your spot on the interest list for this study. We'll keep your details with this study so our team can follow up when recruiting opens.

Not yet recruiting

Add your contact details and location so we can keep your interest tied to this study.

Conditions

  • Supraspinatus Tendinopathy
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
30 Years - 70 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Conventional Shoulder Rehabilitation — BEHAVIORAL
    Conventional physical therapy will be administered 5 days per week for 6 weeks (30 sessions). The program will include heat therapy, TENS, therapeutic ultrasound, and supervised shoulder-specific exercises, including range-of-motion, stretching, scapular stabilization, and rotator cuff strengthening exercises.
  • Aerobic Exercise — BEHAVIORAL
    In addition to conventional shoulder rehabilitation, participants will perform moderate-intensity treadmill aerobic exercise (50-60% of heart rate reserve) 5 days per week for 6 weeks. Sessions will initially last 30 minutes (5-minute warm-up, 20-minute exercise, and 5-minute cool-down) and will increase to 40 minutes after Week 4. All sessions will be supervised by a physiotherapist and conducted according to appropriate safety protocols.

Study Details

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels over a prolonged period. If left untreated, it can lead to serious and long-term vascular and neurological complications. It is also a major cause of morbidity due to specific microvascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy), macrovascular complications (ischemic heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease), and reduced quality of life. There are studies in the literature investigating conventional and shoulder-specific treatments for various shoulder pathologies in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) . However, very few studies have investigated the effectiveness of aerobic exercise. The investigators identified only one study that evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise on pain and range of motion in patients with T2DM and adhesive capsulitis. In the present study, the investigators aim to demonstrate that aerobic exercise results in statistically significant improvements in shoulder pain, functional disability, and the structural characteristics of the supraspinatus tendon, as assessed by ultrasonography and elastography, in participants with T2DM and supraspinatus tendinopathy. The investigators believe that the findings of this study will provide scientific evidence to support the development of more effective and comprehensive rehabilitation protocols for participants with diabetes and shoulder pain.

Key Dates

First listed
Aug 25, 2026
Start date
Aug 25, 2026
Status verified
Aug 2026
Primary completion
Jan 25, 2027
Completion
Jan 25, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
24 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Active Comparator: Conventional Rehabilitation
    Conventional physical therapy will be administered 5 sessions per week for a total of 30 sessions. The treatment program will include 20 minutes of heat therapy, 20 minutes of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), 5 minutes of therapeutic ultrasound at an intensity of 1.5 W/cm², and shoulder-specific exercises performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The supervised exercise program will include pendulum exercises, range-of-motion exercises, posterior capsule and pectoral stretching, scapular stabilization exercises, and strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff muscles .
  • Experimental: Conventional Physical Therapy + Aerobic Exercise
    In addition to the conventional shoulder rehabilitation protocol, participants will receive an aerobic exercise program. The aerobic exercise program will be implemented in accordance with the current physical activity and exercise recommendations of the American Diabetes Association. Participants will perform moderate-intensity treadmill walking 5 days per week for 30 minutes per session, at an intensity corresponding to 50-60% of heart rate reserve. Each session will consist of a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of aerobic exercise on the treadmill, and a 5-minute cool-down. After the fourth week, the exercise duration will be increased to 40 minutes per session, consisting of a 5-minute warm-up, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on the treadmill, and a 5-minute cool-down. All exercise sessions will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist and in accordance with appropriate safety protocols . The treatment program will be administered for a total of 6 weeks.

Primary Outcome Measure

Shoulder Pain Assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [ Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0) and post-treatment (Week 6) ]

Central Contacts

Related Studies