Surgical or nonsurgical treatment for nontraumatic rotator cuff tears: Study protocol clinical trial.

Background: The optimal treatment for symptomatic, nontraumatic rotator cuff tear is unknown. The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial is to compare functional improvement after surgical and conservative treatment of nontraumatic rotator cuff tears.

Methods: This is a single-centre, randomized clinical trial with a follow-up of 12 months.