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Chronic Shoulder PainNCT06472349

Structure and Function of the Upper Trapezius and Its Role in Chronic Shoulder Pain: an Investigation of Kinematics, Morphology, Muscle Quality and Activation Distribution

An observational study of Chronic Shoulder Pain, run by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University at 1 site in Taiwan.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Prior research has explored factors influencing muscle activation, including muscle thickness, fear avoidance beliefs (kinesiophobia), and somatosensory integration. In individuals with chronic shoulder pain, various characteristics impacting symptoms and treatment outcomes have been identified, such as psychosocial… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Chronic Shoulder Pain
How many people
100 participants
Where
1 siteTaiwan
Study dates
12 Dec 2023to Dec 2026
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Study population: Community Sample

Who may be able to join

  • Chronic shoulder pain group
  • 18-50 years old18-50 years old
  • unilateral and non-traumatic shoulder pain
  • pain duration longer than 3 months
  • pain intensity more than VAS=2 during movement
  • presence 3 of 5 positive pain provocation tests: Hawkins-Kennedy test, Jobe test, or Neer's test Painful Arc, and Resistance Test against External Rotation.
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Healthy control group
  • presenting no shoulder pain at rest or during daily activities
  • negative results of the pain provocation test: Hawkins-Kennedy test, Jobe test, Neer's test, Painful Arc, Resistance Test against External Rotation and Spurling's neck compression test.

Who cannot join

  • Chronic shoulder pain group
  • history of significant shoulder trauma, such as fracture or ultrasonography clinically suspected full thickness cuff tear
  • recent shoulder dislocation in the last 2 years
  • diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis characterized by a gradual and painful loss of both active and passive ROM in all shoulder planes, primarily external rotation
  • shoulder pain originating from the cervical spine by using Spurling's neck compression test
  • shoulder pain owing to the following disorders: arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis of shoulder complex), neurologic (e.g., stroke), neoplastic (e.g., breast cancer). and/or referred pain (e.g., visceral referred pain)
  • corticoid injections over the shoulder during 6 months prior to the study
  • history of shoulder and neck surgery

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Taiwan1 site, 1 recruiting

  • National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

    Taipei, 11221

    Yi-Fen Shih, PhD, +886-2-2826-7340, yfshih@ym.edu.tw

    Recruiting

Other trials in Taiwan

About this study

Prior research has explored factors influencing muscle activation, including muscle thickness, fear avoidance beliefs (kinesiophobia), and somatosensory integration. In individuals with chronic shoulder pain, various characteristics impacting symptoms and treatment outcomes have been identified, such as psychosocial factors, fear avoidance, central sensitization, somatosensory impairments, and brain morphology changes. These shared characteristics affecting both muscle activation and chronic shoulder pain may potentially modulate upper trapezius muscle activation during functional movements in patients with chronic shoulder pain. Notably, there remains a gap in the literature concerning investigations into the upper trapezius muscle's morphology and quality, fear avoidance, central sensitization, somatosensory impairments, and their interplay with upper trapezius muscle activation in chronic shoulder pain patients.

To address these gaps, this study aims to: this study aims to: 1) compare different methods of measuring clavicular kinematics using an electromagnetic tracking system; 2) establish the reliability and validity of measuring muscle thickness and fat infiltration through ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging; 3) compare shoulder kinematics, muscle activation, muscle morphology, and muscle fat infiltration in individuals with chronic shoulder pain with matched healthy controls; 4) explore the correlation between the factors that may influence upper trapezius muscle activation, including basic data of the subjects, muscle morphology, and muscle fat infiltration.

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT06472349
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Chronic shoulder pain groupNot described
Healthy control groupNot described

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Shoulder kinematics

    The scapular kinematics will be assessed, including scapular internal/external rotation, upward/downward rotation, and posterior/anterior tilt angle. Clavicular kinematics will be evaluated by measuring clavicular protraction/retraction, elevation/depression, and posterior rotation angle.

    Measured: During the procedure

  2. Muscle activation

    The average root mean square (RMS) value collected from surface EMG and outcomes collected by high-density EMG including average root mean square (RMS) value in whole/upper/lower regions, the RMS value distribution, and position of the barycentre of RMS distribution in different humeral elevation angles and different isometric shoulder and scapular tasks will be the outcome measures related to muscle activation.

    Measured: During the procedure

Secondary outcomes (11)

  1. Oscillation frequency

    The oscillation frequency (Hz) of the muscle obtained from the myotonometer will represent the muscle tone

    Measured: During the procedure

  2. Dynamic stiffness

    The dynamic stiffness (N/m) of the muscle obtained from the myotonometer will represent the muscle tone

    Measured: During the procedure

  3. Mechanical stress relaxation time (ms)

    The mechanical stress relaxation time (ms) of the muscle obtained from the myotonometer will represent the muscle tone

    Measured: During the procedure

  4. Muscle thickness and cross-sectional area

    The upper, middle and lower trapezius muscle thickness and cross-sectional area obtained from MRI and the upper, middle and lower trapezius muscle thickness obtained from musculoskeletal sonography.

    Measured: During the procedure

  5. Muscle thickness change at rest and in contraction

    The muscle thickness at rest, during arm raise at 90o abduction, during 2-kg abduction, during 4-kg abduction, and the change (%) between the latter three and at rest.

    Measured: During the procedure

  6. Muscle fat quantification

    The upper, middle and lower trapezius muscle fat quantification indicate the muscle fat infiltration.

    Measured: During the procedure

  7. Muscle / fat fraction

    The upper, middle and lower trapezius muscle / fat fraction indicate the muscle fat infiltration.

    Measured: During the procedure

  8. Echo intensity

    The echo intensity of the upper, middle and lower trapezius muscle obtained from the musculoskeletal sonography.

    Measured: During the procedure

  9. Pain intensity

    The score obtained from the VAS scale and NRPS scale during the most painful movement represent the pain intensity of the chronic shoulder pain group.

    Measured: During the procedure

  10. Disability level

    The FLEX-SF score and DASH score will indicate the disability level of the subjects.

    Measured: During the procedure

  11. Craniovertebral angle

    The cranial-vertebral angle will indicate the level of forward head posture.

    Measured: During the procedure

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jun 2024
  2. Study start12 Dec 2023
  3. Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
100 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06472349
Sponsor's protocol ID
NYCU112175AE
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
2 Jun 2024
Last updated
14 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Tang CK, Lu CF, Chiou SY, Shih YF. Characteristics of the upper trapezius muscle in patients with chronic shoulder impingement syndrome: a comparative study. Sci Rep. 2026 May 11;16(1):21532. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-46757-7.

    PubMed 42115641

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Chronic Shoulder Pain, run by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University at 1 site in Taiwan.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Taiwan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Shoulder kinematics (time frame: During the procedure). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06472349, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Apr 2026.

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