GDS Method for Frozen Shoulder

Anahuac University30 enrolled

Overview

This randomized exploratory clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of the GDS Muscle and Joint Chains Method compared with conventional physiotherapy in patients with frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis). Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either the GDS intervention group or the conventional physiotherapy control group. Both interventions consisted of eight 50-minute sessions administered twice weekly for four weeks. The primary therapeutic objectives were to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain. Shoulder mobility was assessed using goniometry, and pain intensity was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale. The study hypothesized that the GDS Muscle and Joint Chains Method would produce greater improvements in shoulder mobility and pain than conventional physiotherapy.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Adhesive Capsulitis Frozen Shoulder

Interventions

Participants received eight 50-minute sessions of the GDS Muscle and Joint Chains Method, administered twice weekly for four weeks. Treatment was individualized according to the participant's typology and included muscle reprogramming, postural and movement retraining, manual techniques applied along muscle-chain pathways, passive stretching, isometric and eccentric muscle activation, proprioceptive techniques, and strategies aimed at restoring balance between antagonistic and complementary muscle chains. Shoulder range of motion and pain intensity were assessed before and after the four-week intervention.

Conventional PhysiotherapyOTHER

Participants received eight 50-minute conventional physiotherapy sessions administered twice weekly for four weeks. Treatment included application of a hot compress to the affected shoulder, 15 minutes of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at 150 Hz with intensity adjusted to participant tolerance, 10 minutes of therapeutic ultrasound at 3 MHz and 0.8 W/cm² in pulsed mode at 50%, followed by 15 minutes of therapeutic exercise according to the MEDBRIDGE GO program. Shoulder range of motion and pain intensity were assessed before and after the intervention.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>18 years. * Diagnosis of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) established by a specialist in Traumatology and Orthopedics. * Referral to the physiotherapy service. * No current therapeutic assistance. * Pharmacological treatment with NSAIDs and subacromial infiltration. * Acceptance and signing of informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to electrotherapy. * Pacemaker. * Metallic osteosynthesis material. * Skin disorders in the area where electrodes would be applied. * Current therapeutic assistance.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Shoulder Range of Motion

Shoulder range of motion was measured in degrees using goniometry. Measurements included shoulder flexion, abduction, internal rotation, external rotation at 90° of abduction, and external rotation at 0°.

Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks

Change in Pain Intensity

Pain intensity was assessed using a Visual Analog Scale ranging from 0 to 10, with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing the greatest pain intensity.