American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Shoulder Score
15-item assessment of shoulder pain and functional limitations in activities of daily living.
Provided by
EVAL FoundationInstructions
About You
The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form is an instrument designed to comprehensively evaluate shoulder function through pain assessment and activities of daily living (ADL) limitations.
Originally published in 1994 in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Score (ASES) was designed to assess the condition of the shoulder, regardless of disease pathology.
The ASES is a composite instrument, requiring both a physician assessment and a patient-completed portion; however, it is commonly presented as solely the patient-reported survey.
The form consists of two main components: a pain questionnaire assessing nocturnal pain, medication use, and pain intensity (0-10 scale), and a 10-item ADL section evaluating difficulty with functional tasks including dressing, sleeping, personal hygiene, work, and leisure activities.
Scoring methodology produces three results: Pain Score (0-50 points), ADL Score (0-50 points), and ASES Total Score (0-100 points), with higher scores indicating better shoulder function and lower disability.
This validated instrument provides quantifiable measurement of shoulder-specific outcomes suitable for baseline assessment, monitoring treatment progress, and evaluating intervention efficacy in clinical practice.
Original Literature:
Richards, Robin R., et al. “A standardized method for the assessment of shoulder function.” Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 3.6 (1994): 347-352.
Additional Literature:
Michener, Lori A., Philip W. McClure, and Brian J. Sennett. “American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, patient self-report section: reliability, validity, and responsiveness.” Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 11.6 (2002): 587-594.
Schmidt, Stefanie, et al. “Evaluation of shoulder-specific patient-reported outcome measures: a systematic and standardized comparison of available evidence.” Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 23.3 (2014): 434-444.
All questions & possible results
About You
Dominant Hand
Select one option:
- Right
- Left
- Both
Affected Shoulder
Select one option:
- Right
- Left
Usual Work
Please describe your usual type of work.
A free-text response.
Usual Sport/Leisure Activity
Please describe your usual sport or leisure activity.
A free-text response.
Pain Questionnaire
The following questions relate to your shoulder pain.
Do you have shoulder pain at night?
Select one option:
- Yes
- No
Do you take pain killers such as paracetamol (acetaminophen), diclofenac, or ibuprofen?
Select one option:
- Yes
- No
Do you take strong pain killers such as codeine, tramadol, or morphine?
Select one option:
- Yes
- No
How many pills do you take on an average day?
A number between 0 and 500, in pills/day.
Intensity of pain?
Please rate your pain from 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (pain as bad as it can be).
Select one option:
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Activities of Daily Living
Please rate the level of difficulty you experience performing each of the following activities.
Is it difficult for you to put on a coat?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to sleep on the affected side?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to wash your back/do up bra?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to manage toileting?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to comb your hair?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to reach a high shelf?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to lift 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) above your shoulder?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to throw a ball overhand?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to do your usual work?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Is it difficult for you to do your usual sport/leisure activity?
Select one option:
- Unable to do
- Very difficult to do
- Somewhat difficult
- Not difficult
Possible results
ASES Total Score
Higher scores indicate better shoulder function.
A score of 100 represents no pain and full ability to perform all daily activities.
ADL Score
Higher scores indicate better shoulder function.
A score of 50 represents full ability to perform all daily activities.
Pertinent Positive: Pain > 5
Pain Score
Higher scores indicates more pain.
Citation
Richards, Robin R., et al. “A standardized method for the assessment of shoulder function.” Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 3.6 (1994): 347-352.
