Psychometric Properties of the Improved Report of Oslo Trauma Research Centre Questionnaires on Overuse Injuries (OSTRC-O2) and Health Problems (OSTRC-H2)

Background and Objectives: The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O2) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H2) scales are designed to objectively monitor various overuse or acute injuries of professional and non-professional athletes in association with other physical problems that relate to health spheres. The aim of this study was to validate these questionnaires in a population of professional and amateur Italian athletes and to analyze their psychometric properties, in order to verify that both scales have equivalent properties in different linguistic and cultural contexts. Materials and Methods: The Italian versions of the OSTRC-O2 (OSTRC-O2-IT) and the OSTRC-H2 (OSTRC-H2-IT) were administered to 102 professional and non-professional athletes over a period of 3 months, once a week, for each rating scale. The inclusion criteria were: age over 18 years, practicing a sports activity for at least 1 year and having had at least one injury. The internal consistency and reliability of both scales and their correlations with pain and quality of life scales have been analyzed. Results: The psychometric properties of the scales turned out to be very high and statistically significant for both scales proposed to the athletes. A Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.946 and an ICC between 0.705 and 0.746 confirmed the good reliability of the questionnaires. Conclusions: The Italian versions of the OSTRC-O2-IT and OSTRC-H2-IT assessment scales are reliable and valid tools for the monitoring of overload injuries. This study shows that they are easy to understand for the Italian sports population and may be of help to the scientific community to increase precautionary control and prevention measures for overuse injuries in professional and amateur athletes, favoring a safer return to the field.