Shoulder Pain and the Weight-bearing Shoulder in the Wheelchair Athlete.

Overview

Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints amongst wheelchair athletes. There are many debated potential risk factors for shoulder pain in this population including inherent anatomy, increased loading forces, overuse, age, wheelchair use duration, trunk control, and sport played. Proper identification of etiology of shoulder pain with a thorough history and physical examination is important for management purposes. Treatment can be challenging as complete rest from exacerbating activities is often difficult as upper extremity use is necessary for everyday life activities such as mobility and transfers. Addition of shoulder maintenance strengthening program focusing on strengthening adductors, external rotators, and scapular retractors is important to keep shoulder muscles well-balanced to prevent injury.