Japanese translation and modification of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre overuse injury questionnaire to evaluate overuse injuries in female college swimmers

The purpose of the present study was to translate and modify the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) overuse injury questionnaire into Japanese and validate it among Japanese athletes through a longitudinal survey. A modified back-translation method was used to translate the questionnaire from English to Japanese. The longitudinal survey was performed in 29 female college swimmers who were followed up for more than 24 consecutive weeks. The response rate to the 24 weekly questionnaires was 88.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 85.2–92.3). Internal consistency was measured by using Cronbach’s alpha (0.73 (0.69–0.77)). The anatomical areas most frequently affected by overuse injuries were the lower back (average weekly prevalence: 27.6%, 95% CI: 25.1–30.1), shoulder (16.0%, 95% CI: 13.7–18.2), knee (9.9%, 95% CI: 7.7–12.0), and ankle (9.0%, 7.6–10.5). The severity score showed that knee (22.5, range: 6–65), ankle (21.5, range: 6–67), and lower back (20.7, range: 6–80) injuries had the greatest impact. The Japanese version of the modified OSTRC overuse injury questionnaire demonstrated reliability and validity based on the results of internal consistency and trend of injury of the swimmers. The participants in the present study did not have substantial injuries or time-loss injuries and continued practicing and competing, despite these minor injuries. Although knee and ankle injuries do not occur as often as lower back and shoulder injuries, these injuries often had a greater impact on swimmers when they did occur.