McLaren Health Care
Joint Pain Assessment Quiz

Joint Pain Assessment Quiz

Knee pain may be acute, following an injury or overuse, or it may be chronic and evolve slowly over a period of time. Pain may occur in one or both knees. This quiz will help you understand the severity of your knee condition.

Symptoms	Rating
In the past four weeks	Check your answer below.(Scale 0-4)
In the past four weeks	0	1	2	3	4
How would you describe the pain you usually have in your knee?	None	Very Mild	Mild	Moderate	Severe
Have you had any trouble washing and drying yourself (all over) because of your knee?	No trouble	Very little trouble	Moderate trouble	Extreme difficulty	Impossible to do
Have you had any trouble getting in and out of the car or using public transportation because of your knee (with or without a stick)?	No trouble	Very little trouble	Moderate trouble	Extreme difficulty	Impossible to do
For how long are you able to walk before the pain in your knee becomes severe (with or without a stick)?	No pain, or longer than 60 minutes	15-60 minutes	5-15 minutes	Around the house only	Not at all - severe pain on walking
After a meal (seated at a table), how painful has it been for you to stand up from a chair because of your knee?	Not at all painful	Slightly painful	Moderately painful	Very painful	Unbearable
Have you been limping when walking because of your knee?	Rarely-never	Sometime or just at first	Often, not just at first	Most of the time	All the time
Could you kneel down and get up again afterwards?	Yes, easily	With little difficulty	With moderate difficulty	With extreme difficulty	No, impossible
Are you troubled by pain in your knee at night in bed?	Not at all	Only one or two nights	Some nights	Most nights	Every night
How much has pain from your knee interfered with your usual work (including housework)?	Not at all	A little bit	Moderately	Greatly	Totally
Have you felt that your knee might suddenly give away or let you down?	Rarely - never	Sometimes or just at first	Often, not at first	Most of the time	All of the time
Could you do household shopping on your own?	Yes, easily	With little difficulty	With moderate difficulty	With extreme difficulty	No, impossilbe
Could you walk down a flight of stairs?	Yes, easily	With little difficulty	With moderate difficulty	With extreme difficulty	No, impossible
Score 40-48 points: May indicate severe knee arthritis. It is highly likely that you may well require some form of surgical intervention. 30-39 points: May indicate moderate to severe knee arthritis. See your family physician for an assessment and x-ray. Consider a consult with an orthopedic surgeon. 20-29 points: May indicate mild to moderate knee arthritis. Consider seeing your family physician for an assessment and possible x-ray. You may benefit from non-surgical treatment, such as exercise, weight loss, and/or anti-inflammatory medication. 0-19 points: May indicate satisfactory joint function. May not require any formal treatment.