Virtual Reality-Supported Exercise for Chronic Musculoskeletal Shoulder Disorders: a Feasibility Study

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Shoulder Pain, Chronic Shoulder Pain, Musculoskeletal Shoulder Pain

In brief

People with long-term (chronic) shoulder disorders caused by injuries, overuse or conditions (such as arthritis) often need physiotherapy. This usually includes exercise therapy to help reduce pain, rebuild strength and make every day activities easier. However, it can be hard to stick to an exercise programme. People may stop due to pain, fear of making the symptoms worse or simply loosing motivation. Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that may help people say engaged with their exercise programmes by making exercises more enjoyable and interactive. When using a headset (similar to goggles), people can see and interact with a 3D virtual world. Their movement, especially their hands and arms, are shown as an 'avatar' (a virtual character) in this virtual world. Exercise can feel more like playing a game or engaging with tasks/challenges, rather than performing repetitive movements. This shift might help reduce focus on pain and increase motivation. VR also provides real-time feedback, helping people track their progress and adjust their movements instantly. This might lead to more accurate and consistent exercise performance and better recovery outcomes. Before we can test whether VR exercise programmes are effective for people with chronic shoulder disorders, we firstly need to understand whether it is practical and acceptable for patients to use. This 'feasibility' study will therefore involve 20 patients with chronic shoulder disorders referred for physiotherapy at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, United Kingdom. Participants will take part in three VR exercise sessions at the RNOH over a three-week period. Levels of pain, quality of life and sleep quality etc. will be measured before and after three weeks. Interviews will also be held up to two weeks after the final session to explore people's experiences and thoughts towards the VR exercise programme. The results will help us decide if a larger study should go ahead.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT07392762
Run by: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
People needed: 20
Starts: 2026-01-16
Expected to finish: 2026-12-01
Last updated by the study team: 2026-02-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Adult patients >18 years with diagnosed unilateral/ bilateral shoulder pain with/ without co-existing symptoms of instability and or stiffness (persisting > three months) generated from a Musculoskeletal origin
Patients who have been referred for conservative management
New or follow-up patients
Sufficient English to understand written materials/verbal instruction/or accompanied by family/friends able to translate
Patients who provide informed, written consent to enter the study

You may not qualify if…

Unable to provide informed consent
On a waiting list for surgery and/or injections
Referred for post-operative physiotherapy
Shoulder pain not originating from an MSK aetiology (such as hemiplegia or peripheral nerve injury)
Active history of seizures
Other relevant medical conditions deemed inappropriate for patients to participate e.g. visual impairment, unstable psychiatric illnesses.
Shoulder pain associated with bone metastasis
Currently taking part in any other upper limb research study
Patients who do not adequately understand verbal explanations or written information given in English (or are not accompanied by an interpreter/family member).

Where it is running

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital — Middlesex, London, United Kingdom

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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