Rehabilitation Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

This study is looking at the best ways to recover after a reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA), a surgery for shoulder osteoarthritis (arthritis). Researchers want to compare two different physical therapy plans after surgery. They will measure how well your shoulder works and how much pain you have at different times up to one year after surgery. You might be able to join if you are over 55, are having a primary RTSA, can complete questionnaires, and are willing to come for all follow-up appointments. The study is currently unclear on its recruitment status.

Study design
This study is a randomized controlled study, meaning participants will be assigned to one of two rehabilitation plans by chance. It plans to include 74 participants and is not blinded, so you and your doctors will know which rehabilitation plan you are on.
What's involved
You would have assessments at baseline (before surgery), and then at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after your surgery. These assessments will involve completing self-administered questionnaires.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for one year after their surgery, with assessments at various time points during that year.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT03804853

Rehabilitation Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Recruiting
NAAges 55+InterventionalTreatment
HealthPartners Institute
~74 participants
Updated 2026-06-26 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Rehabilitiation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
American Society for Elbow and Shoulder Score
Measured over Pre-operatively
+18 more outcomes measured
Shoulder Osteoarthritis

NCT03804853

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • TRIA Orthopaedic Center

    Bloomington, Minnesotastudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.

Want this trial checked against your situation?

Add a private profile and we'll compare every criterion below against your situation — and tell you which ones are met, uncertain, or excluding.

Check eligibility for this trial ~2 min · HIPAA-protected · delete anytime
Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

\> 55 years of age.
Candidate for a primary reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.
Capable of completing self-administered questionnaires.
Be willing and able to return for all study-related follow-up procedures.
Able and willing to give informed consent.
Proficient in the English language.

Exclusion

Patients planning on undergoing a Primary Reverse Shoulder Total Arthroplasty due to proximal humeral fracture.
Previous shoulder surgery including previous total shoulder arthroplasty or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty, or instability repairs
Active bacterial infection of the shoulder.
Any concomitant shoulder procedure.
Additional ipsilateral or contralateral upper limb pathology that requires active treatment (i.e. surgery or brace).
Inflammatory arthropathy.
Diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis
Diagnosed with gout.
Subject is on chronic anticoagulation due to a bleeding disorder or has taken anticoagulants within 10 days prior to surgery.
Peripheral vascular disease or other vascular disorders that would impair healing.
Peripheral neuropathy or other neurological disorders that may impair the patient to ambulate.
Patient is on workers compensation.
Any condition requiring chemotherapy.
Active tobacco user or former tobacco user who is not free of using tobacco for 8 weeks.
Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus with an HbA1C \> 7.5%.
Current drug or alcohol abuse.
Major medical illness (life expectancy less then 2 years or unacceptably high operative risk)
Suspicion of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy.
Deltoid insufficiency on physical examination.
Neurological injury of the upper extremity.
Complications from Primary Reverse Shoulder Total Arthroplasty (i.e. post-operative infection, bleeding, hardware failure).
  • American Society for Elbow and Shoulder ScorePre-operatively

    1\. American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) is a scale that measures shoulder pain and function with 11 items, one item for pain and 10 items for function. The score for each subscale is out of 50 (0-50), with a higher score indicating a better outcome. The total score is a sum of both subscales, ranging between 0-100, using the following formula, Total score = ((10 - VAS pain) × 5) + (5/3 × sum of function items).

  • American Society for Elbow and Shoulder Score2 weeks

    1\. American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) is a scale that measures shoulder pain and function with 11 items, one item for pain and 10 items for function. The score for each subscale is out of 50 (0-50), with a higher score indicating a better outcome. The total score is a sum of both subscales, ranging between 0-100, using the following formula, Total score = ((10 - VAS pain) × 5) + (5/3 × sum of function items).

  • American Society for Elbow and Shoulder Score3 months

    1\. American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) is a scale that measures shoulder pain and function with 11 items, one item for pain and 10 items for function. The score for each subscale is out of 50 (0-50), with a higher score indicating a better outcome. The total score is a sum of both subscales, ranging between 0-100, using the following formula, Total score = ((10 - VAS pain) × 5) + (5/3 × sum of function items).

  • American Society for Elbow and Shoulder Score6 months

    1\. American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) is a scale that measures shoulder pain and function with 11 items, one item for pain and 10 items for function. The score for each subscale is out of 50 (0-50), with a higher score indicating a better outcome. The total score is a sum of both subscales, ranging between 0-100, using the following formula, Total score = ((10 - VAS pain) × 5) + (5/3 × sum of function items).

  • American Society for Elbow and Shoulder Score1 year

    1\. American Shoulder and Elbow score (ASES) is a scale that measures shoulder pain and function with 11 items, one item for pain and 10 items for function. The score for each subscale is out of 50 (0-50), with a higher score indicating a better outcome. The total score is a sum of both subscales, ranging between 0-100, using the following formula, Total score = ((10 - VAS pain) × 5) + (5/3 × sum of function items).

  • Simple Shoulder TestPre-operatively

    2\. The Simple Shoulder Test Score (SST) is a 12 item, yes/no questionnaire assessing shoulder function. There are 2 items on function related to pain, 7 items about functions/strength and 3 items about range of motion. There are no subscales. A "yes" response is 1 point and a "no" response is 0 point. The following formula is used to calculate a score out of 100 (0-100), total= number of "yes" items/number of completed items × 100 = % "yes" responses. A higher score indicates better function from a scale of 0-100.

  • Simple Shoulder Test2 weeks

    2\. The Simple Shoulder Test Score (SST) is a 12 item, yes/no questionnaire assessing shoulder function. There are 2 items on function related to pain, 7 items about functions/strength and 3 items about range of motion. There are no subscales. A "yes" response is 1 point and a "no" response is 0 point. The following formula is used to calculate a score out of 100 (0-100), total= number of "yes" items/number of completed items × 100 = % "yes" responses. A higher score indicates better function from a scale of 0-100.

  • Simple Shoulder Test3 months

    2\. The Simple Shoulder Test Score (SST) is a 12 item, yes/no questionnaire assessing shoulder function. There are 2 items on function related to pain, 7 items about functions/strength and 3 items about range of motion. There are no subscales. A "yes" response is 1 point and a "no" response is 0 point. The following formula is used to calculate a score out of 100 (0-100), total= number of "yes" items/number of completed items × 100 = % "yes" responses. A higher score indicates better function from a scale of 0-100.

  • Simple Shoulder Test6 months

    2\. The Simple Shoulder Test Score (SST) is a 12 item, yes/no questionnaire assessing shoulder function. There are 2 items on function related to pain, 7 items about functions/strength and 3 items about range of motion. There are no subscales. A "yes" response is 1 point and a "no" response is 0 point. The following formula is used to calculate a score out of 100 (0-100), total= number of "yes" items/number of completed items × 100 = % "yes" responses. A higher score indicates better function from a scale of 0-100.

  • Simple Shoulder Test1 year

    2\. The Simple Shoulder Test Score (SST) is a 12 item, yes/no questionnaire assessing shoulder function. There are 2 items on function related to pain, 7 items about functions/strength and 3 items about range of motion. There are no subscales. A "yes" response is 1 point and a "no" response is 0 point. The following formula is used to calculate a score out of 100 (0-100), total= number of "yes" items/number of completed items × 100 = % "yes" responses. A higher score indicates better function from a scale of 0-100.

  • PROMIS Global 10Pre-operatively

    3\. The PROMIS Global-10 is a global health quality of life patient reported outcome tool. It is part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It measures symptoms, functioning, and healthcare quality of life for a wide variety of conditions. The PROMIS Global-10 consists of 10 questions assessing physical health, mental health, social health, pain, fatigue, and overall perceived quality of life. 7 questions inquire about health in "general" and 3 questions assess emotional problems, fatigue and pain in the last 7 days. Raw subscale scores for physical and mental health each are calculated out of 20. The raw score are converted to T scores for physical and mental health using the following formulas: the Global Physical Health score is generated by summing responses to Global03, Global06, Global07rescored, and Global08rescored. The Global Mental Health score is generated by summing responses to Global02, Global04, Global05, and Global10rescored.

  • PROMIS Global 102 weeks

    3\. The PROMIS Global-10 is a global health quality of life patient reported outcome tool. It is part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It measures symptoms, functioning, and healthcare quality of life for a wide variety of conditions. The PROMIS Global-10 consists of 10 questions assessing physical health, mental health, social health, pain, fatigue, and overall perceived quality of life. 7 questions inquire about health in "general" and 3 questions assess emotional problems, fatigue and pain in the last 7 days. Raw subscale scores for physical and mental health each are calculated out of 20. The raw score are converted to T scores for physical and mental health using the following formulas: the Global Physical Health score is generated by summing responses to Global03, Global06, Global07rescored, and Global08rescored. The Global Mental Health score is generated by summing responses to Global02, Global04, Global05, and Global10rescored.

  • PROMIS Global 103 months

    3\. The PROMIS Global-10 is a global health quality of life patient reported outcome tool. It is part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It measures symptoms, functioning, and healthcare quality of life for a wide variety of conditions. The PROMIS Global-10 consists of 10 questions assessing physical health, mental health, social health, pain, fatigue, and overall perceived quality of life. 7 questions inquire about health in "general" and 3 questions assess emotional problems, fatigue and pain in the last 7 days. Raw subscale scores for physical and mental health each are calculated out of 20. The raw score are converted to T scores for physical and mental health using the following formulas: the Global Physical Health score is generated by summing responses to Global03, Global06, Global07rescored, and Global08rescored. The Global Mental Health score is generated by summing responses to Global02, Global04, Global05, and Global10rescored.

  • PROMIS Global 106 months

    3\. The PROMIS Global-10 is a global health quality of life patient reported outcome tool. It is part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It measures symptoms, functioning, and healthcare quality of life for a wide variety of conditions. The PROMIS Global-10 consists of 10 questions assessing physical health, mental health, social health, pain, fatigue, and overall perceived quality of life. 7 questions inquire about health in "general" and 3 questions assess emotional problems, fatigue and pain in the last 7 days. Raw subscale scores for physical and mental health each are calculated out of 20. The raw score are converted to T scores for physical and mental health using the following formulas: the Global Physical Health score is generated by summing responses to Global03, Global06, Global07rescored, and Global08rescored. The Global Mental Health score is generated by summing responses to Global02, Global04, Global05, and Global10rescored.

  • PROMIS Global 101 year

    3\. The PROMIS Global-10 is a global health quality of life patient reported outcome tool. It is part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It measures symptoms, functioning, and healthcare quality of life for a wide variety of conditions. The PROMIS Global-10 consists of 10 questions assessing physical health, mental health, social health, pain, fatigue, and overall perceived quality of life. 7 questions inquire about health in "general" and 3 questions assess emotional problems, fatigue and pain in the last 7 days. Raw subscale scores for physical and mental health each are calculated out of 20. The raw score are converted to T scores for physical and mental health using the following formulas: the Global Physical Health score is generated by summing responses to Global03, Global06, Global07rescored, and Global08rescored. The Global Mental Health score is generated by summing responses to Global02, Global04, Global05, and Global10rescored.

  • Range of MotionPre-operatively, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year post-operatively

    4\. Range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder is an objective measure of shoulder function. A blinded examiner will measure the range of motion in forward elevation, external rotation in the neutral position external rotation with the arm in abduction, internal rotation in the neutral position, and internal rotation with the arm in abduction. A goniometer will be used measuring to the nearest degree. The range of motion for forward elevation will range between 0-180 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome. External and internal rotation ranges from 0-90 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome.

  • Range of Motion3 months

    4\. Range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder is an objective measure of shoulder function. A blinded examiner will measure the range of motion in forward elevation, external rotation in the neutral position external rotation with the arm in abduction, internal rotation in the neutral position, and internal rotation with the arm in abduction. A goniometer will be used measuring to the nearest degree. The range of motion for forward elevation will range between 0-180 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome. External and internal rotation ranges from 0-90 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome.

  • Range of Motion6 months

    4\. Range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder is an objective measure of shoulder function. A blinded examiner will measure the range of motion in forward elevation, external rotation in the neutral position external rotation with the arm in abduction, internal rotation in the neutral position, and internal rotation with the arm in abduction. A goniometer will be used measuring to the nearest degree. The range of motion for forward elevation will range between 0-180 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome. External and internal rotation ranges from 0-90 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome.

  • Range of Motion1 year

    4\. Range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder is an objective measure of shoulder function. A blinded examiner will measure the range of motion in forward elevation, external rotation in the neutral position external rotation with the arm in abduction, internal rotation in the neutral position, and internal rotation with the arm in abduction. A goniometer will be used measuring to the nearest degree. The range of motion for forward elevation will range between 0-180 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome. External and internal rotation ranges from 0-90 degrees with a higher number indicating a better outcome.