Lengthening a tendon to reduce shoulder pain after surgery

Prophylactic Conjoint Tendon Lengthening During Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: is There a Difference in Anterior Shoulder Pain At One Year After Surgery?

Not applicable Interventional Loyola University · NCT06729983

This study is testing if lengthening a tendon during shoulder surgery can help reduce pain in patients one year after their operation.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment110 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorLoyola University Academic / other
Locations1 site (Maywood, Illinois)
Trial IDNCT06729983 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study evaluates the effectiveness of prophylactic conjoint tendon lengthening during reverse shoulder arthroplasty to prevent or reduce anterior shoulder pain one year post-surgery. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty is performed to treat severe shoulder arthritis and involves reversing the ball and socket of the shoulder joint. The study aims to address the issue of persistent anterior shoulder pain that some patients experience after the procedure, potentially caused by increased tension on the conjoint tendon. By lengthening this tendon, the researchers hope to alleviate pain and improve patient outcomes.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 and older who are scheduled for primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

Not a fit: Patients who have had prior coracoid transfer procedures or are undergoing revision surgery from a previous arthroplasty may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could significantly reduce the incidence of persistent shoulder pain in patients undergoing reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

How similar studies have performed: While the specific approach of conjoint tendon lengthening is novel, reverse shoulder arthroplasty has shown success in improving shoulder function and pain relief in other studies.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients who are at least 18 years old undergoing primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty
* Operations that occur at Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL), Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center (Maywood, IL), or Gottlieb Memorial Hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients younger than 18 years old
* Patients who had prior coracoid transfer procedure
* Patients who are undergoing revision surgery from a prior arthroplasty
* Current pregnancy As per standard protocol with all surgeries, a urine pregnancy test is performed prior to surgery. If positive, the surgery will be cancelled and the patient will be excluded from the research study.

Where this trial is running

Maywood, Illinois

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Osteoarthritis Shoulderreverse shoulder athroplastyconjoint tendon lengtheningpain outcome
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.