PURPOSE

This study was designed to determine whether factors affecting shoulder pain in adults with spinal cord injury also affected adolescent and young adult manual wheelchair users with spina bifida.

METHODS

Forty-one participants with spina bifida rated their pain using the Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index.

RESULTS

Results showed no significant relationship between shoulder pain and age or duration of wheelchair use but significant differences in pain between age groups. Participation in a sports program and level of lesion were not factors in pain intensity. Propelling up an incline was the activity for which the highest intensity of pain was reported.

CONCLUSION

Shoulder pain in adolescents and young adults with spina bifida is not as great as previously reported in adults with spinal cord injuries but older subjects had greater pain than younger subjects.