ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2018
A randomised controlled trial of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the management of rotator cuff related shoulder pain.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Exercise therapy for tendinopathy: a mixed-methods evidence synthesis exploring feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Pooled it
- The impact of nutrition on tendon health and tendinopathy: a systematic review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Are There Benefits from the Use of Fish Oil Supplements in Athletes? A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2020Pooled it
- Rehabilitation Nutrition for Tendon and Ligament Injuries: From Collagen Remodeling to Return-to-Activity and Sport.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Nutritional Interventions to Optimize Orthobiologic Therapy Quality in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Framework: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Changes in gut microbiota and plasma metabolites in patients with symptomatic degenerative rotator cuff tendinopathy.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- The Association between Dietary Habits and Rapid Postoperative Recovery of Rotator Cuff Repair.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Does Additional Dietary Supplementation Improve Physiotherapeutic Treatment Outcome in Tendinopathy? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Inflammatory mechanisms linking obesity and tendinopathy.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2021Review
- Article
- The Physiological Effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFAs) Intake and Exercise on Hemorheology, Microvascular Function, and Physical Performance in Health and Cardiovascular Diseases; Is There an Interaction of Exercise and Dietary n-3 PUFA Intake?Frontiers in physiology · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designMulticentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial.
objectivesTo compare the effectiveness of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as part of the management for people diagnosed with rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP). SUMMARY OF
backgroundAlthough there is no robust evidence to support their use, omega-3 PUFAs have been recommended for those with tendinopathy due to their potential to moderate inflammation.
methodsParticipants with RCRSP (n=73) were randomised to take either nine MaxEPA capsules providing 1.53 g eicosapentaenoic acid, 1.04 g docosahexaenoic acid or nine matching placebo capsules containing oleic acid per day for 8 weeks. In addition, participants attended an exercise/education programme for 8 weeks. Participants were assessed at prerandomisation, 8 weeks (primary outcome point), 3 months, 6 months and 12 months (secondary outcome point). Primary outcome was the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS). Secondary outcomes included the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Patient Specific Functional Score, Euro Qol 5D-3L, Short Form 36, global rating of change and impairment measurements. Analysis was by intention to treat.
resultsDifference in the change in the OSS between the two groups at 2 months was -0.1 (95% CI -2.6 to 2.5, p=0.95). The change in SPADI scores was -8.3 (95% CI -15.6 to -0.94, p=0.03, analysed by analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline) at 3 months.
conclusionOmega-3 PUFA supplementation may have a modest effect on disability and pain outcomes in RCRSP.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.