Tegner Lysholm Knee Score

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).

Below are common complaints which people frequently have with their knee problems. Mark the answer which best describes your condition.