Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
The reliability of the forgotten joint score for shoulder arthroplasty
Madilyn L Feik1, Ashley Z Smith1, Kevin K Chen2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
Background:
The Forgotten Joint Score, a patient-reported outcome measure assessing the ability to forget the artificial joint, has demonstrated minimal ceiling effects in hip and knee arthroplasty patients. This study determines the reliability of an upper extremity 12-item Forgotten Joint Score (FJS-12) in shoulder arthroplasty patients.
Methods:
The FJS-12 was developed from the previously published 70-item list assessing the Forgotten Joint Score concept in shoulder patients. Sixty patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis completed the FJS-12 at 6 months (n = 38) or 1 year (n = 22) after anatomic or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty and again at least 48 hours later. Test-retest reliability analysis was conducted using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), standard error of measure (SEM90), and minimal detectable change (MDC90).
Results:
FJS-12 test-retest time frame was 8 ± 5 days (range 2-19 days). Six-month FJS-12 was 64 ± 33 with ICC2,1 = 0.97, 95% CI [0.94-0.98], SEM90 = 9.6, and MDC90 = 13.5. One-year FJS-12 was 70 ± 29 with ICC2,1 = 0.96, 95% CI [0.91-0.98], SEM90 = 10.0, and MDC90 = 14.2.
Conclusion:
The FJS-12 demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, representing an important step toward a more sensitive measure to evaluate shoulder arthroplasty outcomes.

