Oxford Knee Score

Original Editor - Lauren Lopez Top Contributors - Lauren Lopez, Gunilla Buitendag and Aminat Abolade

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Top Contributors - Lauren Lopez, Gunilla Buitendag and Aminat Abolade  

Objective

The Oxford Knee Score (OKS) was developed in 1998 and validated to measure pain and function after total knee replacement.

Intended Population

The OKS was originally developed and validated for use with individuals undergoing knee arthroplasty but has also been used to measure outcomes in pharmacological treatments, after osteotomies, following rehabilitation or with fractures.

Method of Use

The OKS is a patient reported outcome measure that consists of 12 questions on activities of daily living and how they are affected by pain.

Questions

The patient is first asked to date their questionnaire and confirm which side/leg they are receiving treatment for. If both knees are involved, a questionnaire is done for each leg.

Questions	Scoring
How would you describe the pain you usually have from your knee?	None Very mild Mild Moderate Severe
2. Have you had any trouble with washing and drying yourself (all over) because of your knee?	No trouble Very little trouble Moderate trouble Extreme difficulty Impossible to do
3. Have you had any trouble getting in and out of a car or using public transport because of your knee? (whichever you tend to use)	No trouble Very little trouble Moderate trouble Extreme difficulty Impossible to do
4. For how long have you been able to walk before the pain from your knee becomes severe (with or without a stick)	No pain/more than 30 minutes 16 to 30 minutes 5 to 15 minutes Around the house only Not at all/pain severe when walking
5. After a meal (sat at a table), how painful has it been for you to stand up from a chair because of your knee?	Not at all painful Slightly painful Moderately painful Very painful Unbearable
6. Have you been limping when walking, because of your knee?	Rarely/ never Sometimes, or just at first Often,not just at first Most of the time All of the time
7. Could you kneel down and get up again afterwards?
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Scoring

When the OKS was originally developed, it was designed to be as simple as possible in order to promote use. The original scoring system was a 1-5 where one represented the best outcome. However, clinicians found this confusing in practice and adaptations began to appear so the original authors developed a new scoring system from 0-4 where four is the best outcome and total scores range from 0 (worst outcome) to 48 (best outcome).

If there are more than two missing answers, it is recommended that the overall score should not be calculated. In the event one or two questions are unanswered, it is recommended that clinicians put in a mean answer from the patient's other answer, If a question has more than one answer, the worst response i.e. smallest number is used for calculations.

Equipment

Pen and paper, or online calculator.

Reference

Original article Dawson et al 1998

Useful information on background and use of The Oxford Knee Score by Oxford University