Swimmers frequently complain of shoulder pain sometime during their careers. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-administered questionnaire that measures pain and functional status of the shoulder in swimmers that may alert a coach or swimmer to seek follow up with a healthcare provider. Participants completed the developed Swimmer's Functional Pain Scale (SFPS) and Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinical Overhead Athlete Shoulder and Elbow (KJOC) questionnaires on two separate occasions (pre and post). Fifty eight USA Swimming age group and collegiate swimmers (n = 58) completed the test-retest design measuring the SFPS. Results of this study indicated that the SFPS is a valid and reliable tool for swimmers to determine when a referral to a healthcare provider is appropriate.
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