Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI)
Assess functional limitations of those with a variety of foot and ankle conditions
Provided by
EVAL FoundationInstructions
Select a response that most clodely describes your condition in the last week.
If the activity in question is limited by something other than your foot or ankle, mark not applicable (N/A).
Activity Subscale
Because of your foot and ankle, how much difficulty do you have with:
Select a response that most clodely describes your condition in the last week.
If the activity in question is limited by something other than your foot or ankle, mark not applicable (N/A).
What It Is
The FADI is a region-specific, self-reported outcome measure developed by Martin, Burdett, and Irrgang (1999) to assess functional limitations in patients with foot and ankle conditions, most commonly used in chronic ankle instability research.
Structure & Setup
The FADI has two components:
1. FADI Activities Subscale (26 items)
Assesses activities of daily living (ADL). Items cover tasks like:
Standing, walking on even/uneven ground
Going up and down stairs
Walking on hills, curbs
Squatting, coming up on toes
Walking initially, for 5 and 10 minutes
2. FADI Sport Subscale (8 items)
Assesses higher-level sport and activity demands:
Running, jumping, landing
Starting and stopping quickly
Cutting/lateral movements
Low-impact activities
Scoring
Questions 1-22 of the Activity Subscale and questions 1-8 of the Sports Subscale are rated on the following 5-point Likert scale:
4 = None at all
3 = Slight
2 = Moderate
1 = Extreme
0 = Unable to do
Questions 23-26 of the Activities Subscale are rated on the following 5-point Likert scale:
4 = No pain
3 = Mild
2 = Moderate
1 = Severe
0 = Unbearable
A "Not Applicable" option is also available and those items are excluded from scoring.
Final score is calculated as:
(Total points earned ÷ Total possible points) × 100
Resulting in a percentage score from 0–100, where 100% = no disability.
Reliability & Sensitivity
Hale & Hertel (2005) examined the FADI in subjects with chronic ankle instability and found it to be a reliable and sensitive tool for detecting functional deficits in this population — supporting its use as both a diagnostic and outcomes tracking instrument.
Use in Research
The Dekker et al. (2017) study applied the FADI alongside other patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in total ankle replacement patients, correlating scores with range of motion — suggesting the FADI captures functional change meaningful enough to correlate with objective physical measurements.
Key Strengths
Region-specific (more sensitive than general functional scales)
Separates daily living from sport demands
Simple percentage scoring is easy to interpret and track over time
Well-validated in chronic ankle instability populations
Original Literature:
Martin, R. L., R. G. Burdett, and J. J. Irrgang. “Development of the foot and ankle disability index (FADI).” J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 29.1 (1999): A32-A33.
Additional Literature:
Hale, Sheri A., and Jay Hertel. “Reliability and sensitivity of the Foot and Ankle Disability Index in subjects with chronic ankle instability.” Journal of Athletic training 40.1 (2005): 35.
Dekker, Travis J., et al. “The Value of Motion: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Are Correlated With Range of Motion in Total Ankle Replacement.” Foot & ankle specialist (2017): 1938640017750258.
All questions & possible results
Activity Subscale
Because of your foot and ankle, how much difficulty do you have with:
Select a response that most clodely describes your condition in the last week.
If the activity in question is limited by something other than your foot or ankle, mark not applicable (N/A).
1. Standing
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
2. Walking on even ground
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
3. Walking on even ground without shoes
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
4. Walking up hills
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
5. Walking down hills
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
6. Going up stairs
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
7. Going down stairs
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
8. Walking on uneven ground
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
9. Stepping up and down curbs
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
10. Squatting
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
11. Sleeping
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
12. Coming up on your toes
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
13. Walking initially
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
14. Walking 5 minutes or less
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
15. Walking approximately 10 minutes
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
16. Walking 15 minutes or greater
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
17. Home responsibilities
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
18. Activities of daily living
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
19. Personal care
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
20. Light to moderate work (standing, walking)
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
21. Heavy work (push/pulling, climbing, carrying)
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
22. Recreational activities
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
Pain
Rate your pain level as it relates to your foot and ankle:
23. General level of pain
Select one option:
- No pain
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Unbearable
- N/A
24. Pain at rest
Select one option:
- No pain
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Unbearable
- N/A
25. Pain during your normal activity
Select one option:
- No pain
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Unbearable
- N/A
26. Pain first thing in the morning
Select one option:
- No pain
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Unbearable
- N/A
Sport Subscale
How much difficulty do you have with:
Select a response that most closely describes your condition in the last week.
If the activity in question is limited by something other than your foot or ankle, mark not applicable (N/A).
1. Running
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
2. Jumping
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
3. Landing
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
4. Starting and stopping quickly
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
5. Cutting/lateral movements
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
6. Low impact activities
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
7. Ability to perform activity with your normal technique
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
8. Ability to participate in your desired sport as long as you would like
Select one option:
- None at all
- Slight
- Moderate
- Extreme
- Unable to do
- N/A
Possible results
FADI Activities Score
Higher scores indicate better function
Pertinent Positive: Unable to stand
Pertinent Positive: Unable to do personal care
Pertinent Positive: Extremely difficult to come up on toes
FADI Sports Score
Higher scores indicate better function
Citation
Martin, R. L., R. G. Burdett, and J. J. Irrgang. “Development of the foot and ankle disability index (FADI).” J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 29.1 (1999): A32-A33.
