Expert’s opinion of a home-based exercise program for shoulder pain prevention: application in wheelchair basketball players

The aim of the study was to assess the structure and content validity of a home-based exercise program, as an instrument to prevent of shoulder pain (SP) in wheelchair basketball players. The proposed program was designed considering previous studies but to be applied in this specific population and; it was composed by exercises based on active mobility (4 exercises), strengthening (5 exercises) and stretching (5 exercises) of the shoulder joint. An ad hoc questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 9 experts (1 rehabilitation physician,1 sport physician, 4 physiotherapists and 3 coaches) that fulfilled the defined inclusion criteria. The results showed that experts considered the shoulder home-based exercise program (SHEP) as adequate tool for SP prevention in WB; however, some experts suggested some changes to improve it. According to the qualitative analysis performed, findings revealed two main underlying factors such as “design” (content and structure) and “application” that could influence in the adequate use of the home-based exercise program. This study provided evidence that the presentedhome-based exercise program is a validate tool and could be a powerful tool to prevent shoulder pain in WB player’s population.