Shoulder pain is frequent among wheelchair users, resulting from the overload generated by locomotion and transfer activities. In this context, evaluation and monitoring through tools such as questionnaires are essential to guide the actions of health professionals and researchers. The Wheelchair User’s Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) is a validated questionnaire, originally developed in English, that assesses shoulder pain in wheelchair users. Considering the scarcity of specific tools for this population available in Brazil, it is essential to translate and culturally adapt the WUSPI to Brazilian Portuguese.

Translate and cross-culturally adapt the Wheelchair User’s Shoulder Pain Index into Brazilian Portuguese.

This study included wheelchair users of both sexes, with shoulder pain for at least 3 months, aged 18 years or older, both athletes and non-athletes, with athletes participating in regular training at least twice a week. This study was approved by Ethics Research Committee. The methodology followed five steps recommended by international guidelines: translation, translation synthesis, back-translation, analysis by an expert committee, and pre-testing. After obtaining the author's consent, the translation process began. The WUSPI has 15 items that assess shoulder pain in wheelchair users during activities involving transfers, mobility, self-care, and general activities. Each item is scored from 0 to 10 on the Visual Analog Scale, with the total score ranging from 0 to 150. For individuals with specific limitations, such as quadriplegia or partial wheelchair use, the Performance Corrected WUSPI was created, adjusting the score by dividing the total raw score by the number of activities performed and multiplying by 15. After the steps, the materials were sent to the author for review, and the pre-test was administered. Items with less than 90% comprehension should be modified.

Thirty individuals participated in the study, with mean age 45.2 ± 13.98, 16 (53%) were female and 19 (63%) were athletes. All WUSPI items and demographic data achieved over 90% comprehension in the pre-test version. However, the committee accepted some suggestions from participants and the author to ensure equivalence between versions. In the WUSPI, in question 3, the word "bathtub" was replaced with "shower chair," and in question 6, "using" was changed to "pushing." In the demographic data, under participant information, the option "civil union" was added to question 1, "that you currently use" was added to question 4.B, and the option "ambidextrous" was included in question 7. In the medical history section, the alternative "I don't remember" was added to question 1.

The WUSPI was translated and culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese following all recommended procedures, making it a useful questionnaire for clinical and research purposes. Future studies are needed to analyze the psychometric properties of the questionnaire.

The translation of the WUSPI into Brazilian Portuguese expands the tools available in Brazil for assessing wheelchair users, contributing to clinical practice and scientific research on shoulder dysfunctions in this population.