Bowen technique versus dynamic soft tissue mobilization for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
Bowen Technique Versus Dynamic Soft Tissue Mobilization on Pain, Range of Motion and Functional Disability in Patients With Adhesive Capsulitis
This trial will test whether adding Bowen technique or dynamic soft tissue mobilization to routine physical therapy helps reduce pain and improve shoulder movement in diabetic adults aged 50–80 with adhesive capsulitis.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 72 (estimated) |
| Ages | 50 Years to 80 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Lahore Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Lahore, Punjab Province) |
| Trial ID | NCT07047846 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This randomized, single-blind trial will enroll 72 diabetic patients aged 50–80 with Grade 2 or 3 adhesive capsulitis at the UOL Teaching Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive routine physiotherapy plus either Bowen technique or dynamic soft tissue mobilization, delivered as a total of 12 treatment sessions over six weeks (twice weekly). Outcomes measured at baseline, week 3, and week 6 include pain (VAS and SPADI Pain), shoulder range of motion (flexion, abduction, external rotation), and functional impairment (SPADI Disability and Total Score). The assessor will be blinded to group allocation to reduce measurement bias.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults with diabetes aged 50–80 diagnosed with Grade 2 or 3 adhesive capsulitis who are willing to attend twice-weekly in-person therapy sessions and have no recent shoulder surgery or recent steroid injections.
Not a fit: Patients with rotator cuff tears, recent shoulder surgery, arthritis, fractures, neurological disorders, recent steroid injections (within 3 months), or those who are not diabetic are excluded and unlikely to benefit from these specific study interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could offer a non-drug manual therapy option that reduces pain and improves shoulder range of motion and function for diabetic patients with frozen shoulder.
How similar studies have performed: Prior trials of manual therapies and soft tissue mobilization have shown modest benefit for adhesive capsulitis, while evidence for Bowen technique is limited and mixed and remains less well established in rigorous randomized trials.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed patients of 50-80 years of age * Grade 2 \& 3 (frozen and thawing) adhesive capsulitis * patients willing to participate in the study * Only diabetic patients Exclusion Criteria: * Major mental health probleme * Patients who has a history of surgery on the shoulder, other shoulder diseases including a rotator cuff tear, sub acromial impingement syndrome, and a shoulder labral tear * Patients taking oral or intra-articular steroids and cortisone injection prior 3 months * Subjects with rotator cuff tears or other shoulder ligament injuries, H/O arthritis related to shoulder, malignancy, adhesive capsulitis secondary to fractures, dislocation, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neurological disorder
Where this trial is running
Lahore, Punjab Province
- UOL Teaching Hospital — Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Dr farrukh Murtaza Physical Therapist, Phd (PT)*
- Email: Farrukh.murtaza@uipt.uol.edu.pk
- Phone: +923339970563
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.