Tegner Lysholm Knee Score
Assessment of knee function and symptoms affecting daily activities and sports participation.
Provided by
EVAL FoundationInstructions
Below are common complaints which people frequently have with their knee problems. Mark the answer which best describes your condition.
Knee Function Assessment
Below are common complaints which people frequently have with their knee problems. Mark the answer which best describes your condition.
The Tegner Lysholm Knee Score is a clinician-administered instrument evaluating knee function across eight dimensions: gait pattern, support requirements, joint locking, instability, pain, swelling, stair climbing, and squatting ability.
Scoring ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better knee function. The instrument uses weighted responses (0-25 points per item) reflecting clinical severity. Total score is calculated by summing all item responses.
Originally published in 1982 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine and later modified in 1985 in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale was designed to be used for evaluating outcomes of knee ligament surgery, particularly for symptoms related to instability. Dr. Jack Lysholm is a professor emeritus at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umea University.
The instrument is widely used in orthopedic practice to assess outcomes following knee injury, surgery, or rehabilitation, and has demonstrated reliability and validity in various knee pathologies.
Original Literature:
Lysholm, Jack, and Jan Gillquist. “Evaluation of knee ligament surgery results with special emphasis on use of a scoring scale.” The American journal of sports medicine 10.3 (1982): 150-154.
Tegner, Yelverton, and Jack Lysholm. “Rating systems in the evaluation of knee ligament injuries.” Clinical orthopaedics and related research 198 (1985): 43-49.
Additional Literature:
Briggs, Karen K., et al. “The reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Lysholm score and Tegner activity scale for anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee: 25 years later.” The American journal of sports medicine 37.5 (2009): 890-897.
Collins, Natalie J., et al. “Measures of knee function: International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation Form, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Physical Function Short Form (KOOS‐PS), Knee Outcome Survey Activities of Daily Living Scale (KOS‐ADL), Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Activity Rating Scale (ARS), and Tegner Activity Score (TAS).” Arthritis care & research 63.S11 (2011).
All questions & possible results
Knee Function Assessment
Below are common complaints which people frequently have with their knee problems. Mark the answer which best describes your condition.
1. Limp
Select one option:
- I have NO limp when I walk
- I have a slight or periodical limp when I walk
- I have a severe and constant limp wen I walk
2. Support
Select one option:
- I do NOT use a cane or crutches
- I use a cane or crutches with some weight-bearing
- Putting weight on my hurt leg is impossible
3. Locking
Select one option:
- I have NO locking and NO catching sensation in my knee
- I have a catching sensation but NO locking sensation in my knee
- My knee locks occasionally
- My knee locks frequently
- My knee feels locked at this moment
4. Instability
Select one option:
- My knee never gives way
- My knee rarely gives way, only during athletics or other vigorous activities
- My knee frequently gives way during athletics or other vigorous activities; in turn I am unable to participate in these activities
- My knee occasionally gives way in daily activities
- My knee often gives way in daily activities
- My knee gives way every step I take
5. Pain
Select one option:
- I have NO pain in my knees
- I have intermittent or slight pain in my knee during vigorous activities
- I have marked pain in my knee during vigorous activities
- I have marked pain in my knee during or after walking MORE than 1 mile
- I have marked pain in my knee during or after walking LESS than 1 mile
- I have constant pain in my knee
6. Swelling
Select one option:
- I have NO swelling in my knee
- I have swelling in my knee only after vigorous activities
- I have swelling in my knee after ordinary activities
- I have swelling constantly in my knee
7. Stair Climbing
Select one option:
- I have NO problems climbing stairs
- I have slight problems climbing stairs
- I can climb stairs only one at a time
- Climbing stairs is impossible for me
8. Squatting
Select one option:
- I have NO problems squatting
- I have slight problems squatting
- I cannot squat beyond a 90 degree bend in my knee
- Squatting is impossible because of my knee
Possible results
Tegner Lysholm Knee Score
Score range from 0 (worse disability) to 100 (less disability)
Citation
Lysholm, Jack, and Jan Gillquist. “Evaluation of knee ligament surgery results with special emphasis on use of a scoring scale.” The American journal of sports medicine 10.3 (1982): 150-154.
