Can Vitamin C Reduce the Risk of Postoperative Shoulder Stiffness?
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Postoperative shoulder stiffness is a common complication after shoulder surgery (incidence
10-15%). The symptoms consist primarily in a painful impairment of the mobility of the
glenohumeral joint, usually after initially good course. Cause and origin are not clear.
Vitamin C is known as an inactivator of free radicals and plays a key role in building
collagen tissue. Vitamin C thus has a modulating role in inflammatory reactions. Injured and
ill people have been shown to have significantly increased vitamin C needs, which underlines
this role. Evidence was also found that vitamin C has a positive influence on similar
diseases such as the complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS, Morbus Sudeck) on the wrist and
postoperative arthrofibrosis on the knee joint.
The Investigators want to investigate whether vitamin C intake can positively influence the
incidence and / or severity of postoperative shoulder stiffness after shoulder surgery.
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effect of vitamin C on the external
rotational ability of the operated shoulder in the glenohumeral joint compared to the
opposite side at 12 weeks post surgery.
Secondary objectives of this study are to investigate other shoulder mobility tests,
patient-reported outcomes (level of pain, ability/return to work, smoking habits),
patient-reported questionnaires (Constant Score, Oxford shoulder score, DASH score) and the
incidence of a frozen shoulder at 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks post surgery.
Total duration of study: 2.5 years.