Validation and application of a subjective knee questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Knee joint injuries often manifest as limitations in daily activities and sports.
• Patient-reported outcomes are crucial for assessing knee function.
• A validated questionnaire is needed for accurate assessment of knee complaints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a German translation of an English knee complaints questionnaire.
• To assess the reliability and responsiveness of the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for knee function.
• To evaluate the questionnaire's clinical utility in patients with diverse knee injuries.

Main Methods:

• Validated a 28-question German knee questionnaire with visual analogue scale (VAS) responses.
• Included expert content evaluation, reliability testing, and comparison with established knee scoring systems (Cincinnati, Lysholm).
• Assessed questionnaire responsiveness in patients undergoing meniscus surgery and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Main Results:

• The German knee questionnaire demonstrated high reliability (r=0.86 for healthy, r=0.92 for post-op patients).
• The VAS score effectively discriminated between patient groups with various knee injuries (meniscus lesions, cruciate ligament insufficiency, chondromalacia).
• 85% of knee surgeons deemed the questionnaire acceptable for clinical use.

Conclusions:

• The validated German knee questionnaire provides a reliable and responsive tool for assessing knee function limitations.
• It is suitable for clinical use in evaluating patients with a range of knee pathologies and post-operative outcomes.
• This tool aids in objective assessment and management of knee joint impairments.