PURPOSE:

To perform a cross-cultural adaption of the KJOC Shoulder and Elbow score into the Arabic language, then to test its validity and reliability.

BACKGROUND:

Shoulder and elbow injuries are highly prevalent among overhead and throwing athletes, particularly in sports such as baseball, handball, volleyball, and tennis throwing. Accurate assessment of upper extremity function in this athletic population is essential for injury prevention, clinical decision-making, and monitoring return-to-sport outcomes.

The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow Score is a sport-specific, patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) developed to evaluate functional performance, pain, and sport-related limitations in overhead athletes. It has been widely used and validated in several languages including Spanish, Germany, Japanese, and Greek; however, no validated Arabic version is currently available.

Simple literal translation is insufficient for patient-reported outcome measures. Instead, a structured process of translation, cultural adaptation, and comprehensive psychometric validation is required to ensure linguistic accuracy, conceptual equivalence, cultural relevance, and measurement reliability for Arabic-speaking athletes.

HYPOTHESES:

The study hypothesizes that the Arabic version of the KJOC shoulder and elbow score will demonstrate strong validity and reliability as an assessment tool for evaluating upper extremity function in symptomatic Arabic-speaking overhead athletes.

RESEARCH QUESTION:

Is the adapted Arabic version of the KJOC Shoulder and Elbow score valid and reliable for assessing upper extremity function in Egyptian symptomatic overhead athletes?