Quantifying the Burden of Shoulder and Hip Pain In Water Polo Players Across Different Playing Levels.
Michael Girdwood, Marilyn Webster
PMID 33604135WHAT IT FOUND
Water polo players reported high shoulder and hip/groin pain: 38.1% had current shoulder pain and 33.1% had current hip/groin pain.
Players at national and international levels reported more hip/groin pain than local/regional players. 22.7% had both.
Key findings
0138.1% of players reported current shoulder pain and 81.2% reported a past history of shoulder pain, while 33.1% reported current hip/groin pain and 60.4% reported a past history of hip/groin pain.
02Hip/groin pain prevalence and past history were significantly higher in more elite playing levels than in local/regional level athletes.
0322.7% of players reported concurrent shoulder and hip/groin pain, and current shoulder pain was associated with current hip/groin pain (risk ratio 1.99, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.12).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was self-selected and online, so it may over-represent players who already had symptoms. Only 2.5% of registered senior Australian water polo members were represented, and the sample was smaller than aimed for. Pain was self-reported without diagnosis or side dominance, so the study cannot say what specific shoulder or hip/groin problem was present. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether shoulder pain led to hip/groin pain, hip/groin pain led to shoulder pain, or both appeared during high workload. Training load was reported in sessions and hours, not shots or eggbeater time, so load variables may not capture the key demands. The text reports 153 completed questionnaires, while Table 1 total is 154.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no external financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the risk ratios as proof that shoulder pain causes hip/groin pain or vice versa. The study measured both at the same time and did not establish sequence.