[Joint functional outcome score for the clinician]

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Overload injuries present diverse treatment challenges for sports clinicians.
• Evaluating treatment efficacy requires standardized outcome measures.
• Patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores are increasingly preferred over clinician-rated outcomes (CRO).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and recommend appropriate outcome scores for sports clinicians managing common overload injuries.
• To provide a framework for objective treatment evaluation in sports medicine.
• To emphasize the utility of patient-rated outcome measures.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing outcome scoring systems.
• Selection of scores relevant to common sports-related overload conditions.
• Inclusion of activity level scores for performance context.

Main Results:

• Identified key patient-rated outcome scores for conditions including tennis elbow, rotator cuff issues, groin pain, patellofemoral pain syndrome, Achilles tendinopathy, and ankle instability.
• Highlighted the importance of activity level scores for return-to-performance assessment.
• Demonstrated the value of standardized scores in facilitating communication and objective evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Patient-rated outcome scores offer a reliable method for assessing treatment effectiveness in sports-related overload injuries.
• Standardized scoring systems are crucial for objective treatment evaluation and inter-therapist communication.
• The selection of appropriate scores, including activity level, enhances the clinical utility for return-to-performance decisions.