NCT07278323

Frozen Shoulder and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone Replacement Therapy as an Adjunct Treatment for Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder (Frozen Shoulder) in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in addition to standard treatment on frozen shoulder symptoms in women with age-related changes to their menstrual cycle. Frozen shoulder refers to the condition a doctor diagnosed the participant with regarding shoulder pain, stiffness, and progressive loss of range of motion. Age-related menstrual cycle changes, known as perimenopause and/or menopause, refers to a change or stoppage of monthly menstrual cycles. Other symptoms participants may be experiencing include vaginal dryness, hot flashes, or night sweats. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) refers to medicine with female hormones in it. For this study, HRT will be in the form of a patch that goes on the skin and a daily oral pill. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either HRT plus standard care, or only standard care. Follow-up tests will be completed at 6 months of treatment to assess participant progress.

Detailed description

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (ACS), also known as frozen shoulder, affects up to 5% of the population with most cases occurring in peri- and postmenopausal women. This condition is debilitating, negatively impacting quality of life, yet current treatments are insufficient. There are mechanistic studies and biological plausibility to suggest the onset of this condition is associated with hormonal involvement, specifically estrogen. Given hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely prescribed to women experiencing menopause-related symptoms, investigators propose using HRT as an adjunct treatment for ACS. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate patient-reported outcomes using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score following treatment with HRT + standard care versus standard care alone. The secondary objective is to determine changes in range of motion (ROM) and functional workspace using both routine clinical metrics and a novel clinical marker-less movement analysis system. Investigators hypothesize that HRT can improve pain scores and ROM limitations in peri- and postmenopausal women who present with ACS. Investigators will recruit 60 women who are peri- or postmenopausal and employ a longitudinal randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of HRT + standard treatment on ACS symptom severity. All participants will receive standard care of physical therapy and a glenohumeral joint steroid injection; the experimental group will also receive HRT. Measures will be repeated after six months of treatments. Within- and between-group changes in pain scores, ROM, and functional workspace will be evaluated using repeated measures ANOVAs with Tukey's multiple comparisons test as indicated by treatment groups. An alpha level of 0.05 will be used to determine statistical significance for all measures. This pilot project will provide critical preliminary data to support future extramural funding applications to government agencies, foundations, and industry partners.

Conditions

• Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder
• Frozen Shoulder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)	Participants will receive HRT for 6 months consisting of 0.5mg estradiol skin patch and 100mg of oral daily progestin
DRUG	Corticosteroid and 1%lidocain	Ultrasound-guided glenohumeral joint injections will be performed in clinic by a board-certified fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine physician with expertise performing ultrasound-guided joint injections. Injections will be performed using standard aseptic technique after obtaining informed consent. For local anesthesia, 1 mL of 1% lidocaine will be injected with a 25 gauge 2-inch needle into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Following this, a 22 gauge 2.5-inch needle will be used to inject a 5 mL combination of 1 mL of 40 mg/mL triamcinolone, 2 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine, and 2 mL of normal saline into the glenohumeral joint.
BEHAVIORAL	physical therapy	Patients will be referred to physical therapy to complete on their own and will be given an at home program to follow while they wait to see therapists.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-01
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2026-12-01
• First posted: 2025-12-12
• Last updated: 2025-12-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study