This paper introduces the Lysholm knee score, a patient-reported outcome scale for follow-up after knee ligament surgery. It asks whether a scale built around symptoms of instability ("giving way") better captures functional impairment than the existing modified Larson scale. The scale was tested across four diagnostic groups: ligament instability, posterolateral/posterior instability, meniscus tears, and chondromalacia patellae.
When you read an ACL reconstruction study, the outcome scale you will see most often is the Lysholm score, which this paper introduced. The core idea: for ligament injury, "giving way" is the disability that matters, so the scale weights instability heavily (30 points). This is why an unstable knee scores low on Lysholm even when range of motion and strength look fine.
The authors validated that the score tracks reality, correlating both with patients' self-rated function and with objective instability on exam (75.6 vs 93.6, P < 0.001). That dual correlation is what made it durable.
Know its place in the toolkit: the Lysholm score measures symptoms and function, while the Tegner activity scale (its frequent companion) measures activity level. Boards expect you to pair them. One limitation the authors emphasize: no single scale fits all knee disorders, because pain dominates chondromalacia patellae and some posterolateral/posterior instability, not giving way.
This paper introduces the Lysholm knee score, a patient-reported outcome scale for follow-up after knee ligament surgery. It asks whether a scale built around symptoms of instability ("giving way") better captures functional impairment than the existing modified Larson scale. The scale was tested across four diagnostic groups: ligament instability, posterolateral/posterior instability, meniscus tears, and chondromalacia patellae.
When you read an ACL reconstruction study, the outcome scale you will see most often is the Lysholm score, which this paper introduced. The core idea: for ligament injury, "giving way" is the disability that matters, so the scale weights instability heavily (30 points). This is why an unstable knee scores low on Lysholm even when range of motion and strength look fine.
The authors validated that the score tracks reality, correlating both with patients' self-rated function and with objective instability on exam (75.6 vs 93.6, P < 0.001). That dual correlation is what made it durable.
Know its place in the toolkit: the Lysholm score measures symptoms and function, while the Tegner activity scale (its frequent companion) measures activity level. Boards expect you to pair them. One limitation the authors emphasize: no single scale fits all knee disorders, because pain dominates chondromalacia patellae and some posterolateral/posterior instability, not giving way.