The one-week prevalence of overuse-related shoulder pain and activity limitation in competitive tennis players living in Toronto: a feasibility study.

Objective: We aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a cross-sectional study to estimate the one-week prevalence of overuse-related shoulder pain and activity limitation in competitive tennis players.

Methods: Eligible for the study were competitive adult tennis players who reside in Toronto. Using a convenience sample, the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Shoulder Injury Questionnaire (OSIQ) was administered online to provide preliminary estimates of the prevalence of shoulder pain and activity limitation, injury severity and pain intensity. Feasibility outcomes included evaluating participation rate and missing data in the questionnaire.

Results: Forty-three tennis players were included in the questionnaire (68.3% participation rate, 100% completion rate). There was no missing data. The one-week proportion of those with shoulder pain and activity limitation was 41.9% with a mean injury severity of 33/100. Mean pain intensity was 1.9/10.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that it is feasible to conduct a cross-sectional study to measure the one-week prevalence of shoulder pain and activity limitation in tennis players.