Shoulder pain in wheelchair basketball athletes: A scoping review

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2023 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2022.2038050 · Published: July 1, 2023

Simple Explanation

Wheelchair basketball athletes often experience shoulder pain due to the increased stress on their upper limbs. This review summarizes existing research on shoulder pain in these athletes to understand the current knowledge and guide future research. The review found that shoulder pain is highly prevalent among wheelchair basketball players. However, there is a lack of studies on treatment or preventive measures for this condition. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms behind shoulder pain in wheelchair basketball athletes. Also, the effectiveness of different therapeutic and preventive measures needs to be studied.

Study Duration

January 1990 and February 2021

Participants

Wheelchair basketball athletes

Evidence Level

Scoping Review

Key Findings

1
The prevalence of shoulder pain in wheelchair basketball players ranges from 38% to 75%.
2
Factors contributing to shoulder pain include overuse, decreased trunk control, and poor driving posture.
3
Treatment and preventive measures primarily consist of shoulder and scapular muscle strengthening and stretching exercises, but more research is needed.

Research Summary

This scoping review examined 11 studies on shoulder pain in wheelchair basketball (WB) athletes, finding a high prevalence of shoulder pain, ranging from 14% to 75%. The review identified factors contributing to shoulder pain such as overuse, decreased trunk control and driving posture. However the cause of shoulder pain was difficult to identify because most reports were cross-sectional studies. The existing literature on treatment and preventive measures is limited, with most studies focusing on stretching and strengthening exercises. More research is needed to determine optimal interventions for WB athletes.

Practical Implications

Informed Interventions

Highlights the need for targeted interventions, such as strengthening and stretching programs, to address shoulder pain in wheelchair basketball athletes.

Future Research

Directs future research towards understanding the mechanisms of shoulder pain and the effectiveness of various treatment and preventive strategies.

Holistic Management

Emphasizes the importance of managing shoulder pain to improve the quality of life for wheelchair users, considering the burden on upper limbs in daily activities.

Study Limitations

1
Inclusion of only English language studies.
2
Limited database search (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and PEDro).
3
Inclusion of lower-evidence-level studies due to the lack of high-evidence studies.

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