Prosthesis Versus Active Exercise Program in Patients With Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis (PROACT)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04845074 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : April 14, 2021
Last Update Posted : May 10, 2023
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis | Procedure: TSA-group Other: Exercise-group | Not Applicable |
Glenohumeral osteoarthritis causes pain, stiffness and weakness in the shoulder joint, and furthermore, it affects activities of daily living and quality of life. Anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is a well-established treatment for pronounced glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Several studies have suggested the need for trials comparing shoulder arthroplasty to non-surgical treatments.
The ProAct trial is a Nordic multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis, eligible for a TSA will be randomised to either TSA followed by usual care or exercise only. The exercise intervention consists of 12 weeks of exercise with one weekly physiotherapist-supervised exercise session.
The primary outcome will be the total the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index score at 12 months follow-up.Outcome assessment will be performed at baseline, and at 3 and 12 months and 2-, 5- and 10 years after start of surgical/non-surgical treatment.
Patients fulfilling the eligibility criteria but declining to participate in the randomised trial will be offered the option of participating in an observational cohort using the same primary end point and patient reported outcomes, but following usual clinical practice.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 102 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Prosthesis Versus Active Exercise Program in Patients With Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis Eligible For Shoulder Arthroplasty: the ProAct Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial |
Actual Study Start Date : | June 2, 2021 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | November 2025 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | November 2035 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: TSA-group
Surgery
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Procedure: TSA-group
Anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty followed by standard rehabilitation. |
Experimental: Exercise-group
Exercise
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Other: Exercise-group
The exercise-group will attend a 12-week exercise program with one weekly physiotherapist-supervised session supplemented with two weekly sessions of home-based exercises. Utilisation of a predefined training protocol describing procedures and content of each session secure uniformity and standardisation of the intervention. The exercise program consists of two warm-up exercises and five exercises that target shoulder range of motion and muscle strength. Furthermore, a link to a video, informing about glenohumeral osteoarthritis, the role of exercise and exercise related pain, will be sent to all patients in the exercise-group. The physiotherapists delivering the exercise intervention are not otherwise related to the trial. |
- the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS) [ Time Frame: Measured at 12-month follow-up ]WOOS consist of 19 items to be answered using a visual analog scale (VAS). Each item has a possible score ranging from 0 to 100, leading to a total WOOS score ranging from 0 to 1900, with 0 being the best. For simplicity reasons, raw scores can be converted to a percentage of the maximum score (0-100, 100 best).
- the Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder index (WOOS) [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline, 12-week, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up ]WOOS consist of 19 items to be answered using a visual analog scale (VAS). Each item has a possible score ranging from 0 to 100, leading to a total WOOS score ranging from 0 to 1900, with 0 being the best. For simplicity reasons, raw scores can be converted to a percentage of the maximum score (0-100, 100 best).
- Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline, 12-week, 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up ]DASH is a self-administered questionnaire that consist of thirty core items and eight items assessing work and sports and/or performing arts activities. Each individual item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale, and lower scores correlated to minimal impairments and higher scores indicate more impairment. The cumulative DASH score is scaled from 0-100 with higher scores indicating more disability.
- The 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale. [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline, 12-week, 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up ]Patient reported pain intensity at rest, during activity and nightly pain.
- The use of analgesics during the last week [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline, 12-week, 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up ]They will be asked if they take any analgesics, which type they take (paracetamol, NSAID, morphine/opioids) and how often they consume the medication.
- Serious Adverse Events [ Time Frame: The patients in the surgical intervention group will be monitored for serious adverse events during the 4 weeks from the discharge. ]Serious adverse events are defined as embolism (cardiac or brain), death, liver and renal failure.
- Adverse events [ Time Frame: Occurring during the period from inclusion until the 12-month follow-up ]Defined as any unintended and unfavorable sign, symptom or disease resulting in contact with the healthcare system irrespective of a causal relationship with the intervention and outcome assessments.
- Accelerometer-based activity using tri-axial (Axivity, UK) accelerometers [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline and 12-month follow-up ]The patients will have an accelerometer sensor mounted with tape to both upper arms for 4 days. The sensors will measure 24/7 activity and degree of movement.
- The 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale. [ Time Frame: Measured immediately before and after each exercise session ]Patient reported pain intensity at rest
- EQ-5D-5L [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline, 12-week, 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up. ]The EuroQol measures the five dimensions: mobility, self-care, daily activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension consists of one item, distinguished in five levels.
- Productivity Costs Questionnaire (iPCQ) [ Time Frame: Measured at 12-week, 12-month follow-up. ]The iPCQ is a questionnaire for the measurement of costs in economic evaluations. It consists of 18 questions of which 9 are general questions followed by questions to measure productivity losses. Measured for the health economic evaluation in Denmark.
- Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) [ Time Frame: Measured at 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up. ]PASS will be assessed with the following question: "When you think of your shoulder function, will you consider your current condition as satisfying?" By shoulder function, you should take into account your activities of daily living, sport and recreational activities, your shoulder pain and other symptoms and your quality-of-life on a dichotomous scale (yes/no).
- Treatment Failure [ Time Frame: Measured at 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up. ]Patient-reported treatment failure will be assessed only by patients answering "no" to PASS with the following question: "Would you consider your current state as being so unsatisfactory that you think the treatment has failed?" on a dichotomous scale (yes/no).
- Number of total shoulder arthroplasty surgeries (exercise-group) [ Time Frame: Measured from baseline to 12-month, 2-, 5- and 10-year follow-up. ]Number of total shoulder arthroplasty surgeries performed in the exercise-group.
- Number of supervised exercise sessions from baseline to 3 months (exercise-group) [ Time Frame: From baseline to 12 weeks ]High compliance will be defined as participation in ≥70% of the training sessions; moderate compliance as participation in 50-70% of the sessions; and poor compliance as participation in <50% of the sessions.
- Number of patients performing unsupervised exercise (exercise-group) [ Time Frame: From baseline to 12 weeks ]Adherence to two weekly unsupervised exercise sessions will be measured by a patient-reported questionnaire
- Number of patients performing unsupervised exercise (exercise-group) [ Time Frame: From 12 weeks to 12 months ]Adherence to optional unsupervised exercise sessions will be measured by a patient-reported questionnaire

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 55 Years to 85 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients ≥55-85 years
- Moderate-severe primary OA of the glenohumeral joint according to Samilson and Prieto, by measuring the lower osteophyte (32)
- Eligible for surgery with standard TSA
Exclusion Criteria:
- Surgical need for bonegraft
- Previous shoulder fracture (fracture of the proximal humerus or glenoid fracture)
- Planned other upper extremity surgery within six months
- Rheumatoid arthritis or other types of arthritis not diagnosed as primary glenohumeral OA
- Cancer diagnosis and receiving chemo-, immuno- or radiotherapy
- Neurological diseases affecting shoulder mobility (e.g. disability after previous stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease)
- Other reasons for exclusion (i.e. mentally unable to participate) or planned absence for more than 14 days in the first 3 months after baseline test.
- Unable to communicate in the participating countries respective languages

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04845074
Contact: Josefine B. Larsen, MSc | +4526237771 | josefinebl@clin.au.dk | |
Contact: Inger Mechlenburg, Prof. | +4521679062 | inger.mechlenburg@clin.au.dk |
Denmark | |
Aarhus University Hospital | Recruiting |
Aarhus, Denmark, 8200 | |
Contact: Josefine Larsen, Msc josefinebl@clin.au.dk | |
Contact: Inger Mechlenburg, Prof. inger.mechlenburg@clin.au.dk | |
Sub-Investigator: Theis M Thillemann, PhD, As Prof | |
Aalborg University Hospital | Recruiting |
Farsø, Denmark, 9640 | |
Contact: Steen L Jensen | |
Silkeborg Regional Hospital | Recruiting |
Silkeborg, Denmark, 8600 | |
Contact: Brian Elmegaard | |
Contact: Stine J Due | |
Viborg Regional Hospital | Recruiting |
Viborg, Denmark, 8800 | |
Contact: Helle K Østergaard | |
Contact: Srdjan Zivanovic | |
Finland | |
Tampere University Hospital | Not yet recruiting |
Tampere, Finland, 33521 | |
Contact: Antti P. Launonen, PhD, As Prof antti.launonen@pshp.fi | |
Norway | |
Oslo University Hospital | Recruiting |
Oslo, Norway, 4956 | |
Contact: Berte Bøe |
Principal Investigator: | Josefine B. Larsen, MSc | Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University | |
Study Director: | Inger Mechlenburg, Prof. | Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University | |
Study Director: | Theis M. Thillemann, PhD, As Prof | Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University | |
Study Director: | Antti P. Launonen, PhD, As Prof | Tampere University Hospital |
Responsible Party: | University of Aarhus |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT04845074 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
PROACT |
First Posted: | April 14, 2021 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | May 10, 2023 |
Last Verified: | May 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | Pseudo anonymised patient-level data for the primary and all secondary outcome measures will be made available if required by the scientific journal, in which the results of the trial are published. |
Supporting Materials: |
Study Protocol Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) Informed Consent Form (ICF) Analytic Code |
Time Frame: | Data will be available after publication of the trial. |
Access Criteria: | Data access will be reviewed by the author group. Requestors will be required to sign a Data Access Agreement. |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Physiotherapist-supervised Exercise Physical Therapy Physical Rehabilitation Anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty Randomized Controlled Trial |
Osteoarthritis Arthritis Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases |