A survey of interfering shoulder pain in United States competitive swimmers

Abstract

The prevalence of shoulder pain in United States com petitive swimmers has not been extensively surveyed but is perceived as common. To evaluate this concern, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 1262 United States swimmers: 993 age group, 198 senior develop ment, and 71 national team athletes. We sought to identify the incidence of interfering shoulder pain in this population and how it is influenced by various training tasks. The prevalence of current shoulder pain in these groups varied between 10% (age group) to 26% (na tional team) and increased with time in the sport. In those athletes with a painful shoulder, weight training, use of hand paddles, kickboard use, stretching, and various resistance activities aggravated the painful shoulder. This survey has identified that interfering shoulder pain is present in a substantial number of competitive swimmers.