PURPOSE: To analyze the effectiveness of a 6-month exercise protocol on shoulder pain experienced by wheelchair users during functional activities. SUBJECTS: Forty-two wheelchair users, 35 males and seven females: average age of 35 years and an average duration of wheelchair use of 14 years. METHODS: Subjects were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 21) and control (n = 21) groups. The treatment group received instruction in five shoulder exercises which they performed daily for 6 months. The exercise protocol included two exercises for stretching anterior shoulder musculature and three exercises for strengthening posterior shoulder musculature. OUTCOME MEASURES: All subjects completed a self-report questionnaire and the Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) initially and at bimonthly intervals during the 6-month intervention. RESULTS: Seventy-five per cent of the subjects reported a history of shoulder pain since beginning wheelchair use. The average initial performance-corrected (PC-WUSPI) score of the 42 subjects was 17.7 (+/- 21.3) with a range of 0 to 103.2 points. Over 83% of the subjects completed the 6-month study. Subjects in the treatment group decreased their PC-WUSPI score by an average of 39.9%, compared to decreases of only 2.5% in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings supported the effectiveness of this exercise protocol in decreasing the intensity of shoulder pain which interferes with functional activity in wheelchair users.
Reprinted by permission from Spinal Cord, Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

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