Shoulder pain in wheelchair users with tetraplegia and paraplegia.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the prevalence and intensity of shoulder pain experienced during daily functional activities in individuals with tetraplegia and individuals with paraplegia who use manual wheelchairs.

DESIGN

Self-report survey.

SETTING

General community.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifty-five women and 140 men, 92 subjects with tetraplegia and 103 subjects with paraplegia who met inclusion criteria of 3 hours per week of manual wheelchair use and at least 1 year since onset of spinal cord injury.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondents completed a demographic and medical history questionnaire and the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI), a measure of pain during typical daily activities.

RESULTS

More than two thirds of the sample reported shoulder pain since beginning wheelchair use, with 59% of the subjects with tetraplegia and 42% of the subjects with paraplegia reporting current pain. Performance-corrected WUSPI scores were significantly higher in subjects with tetraplegia than in subjects with paraplegia.

CONCLUSIONS

Both the prevalence and intensity of shoulder pain was significantly higher in subjects with tetraplegia than in subjects with paraplegia. Efforts to monitor and prevent shoulder pain should continue after rehabilitation.