Which outcome measure is commonly used to assess hip function in physical therapy practice?

• A. Harris Hip Score
• B. HOOS
• C. SF-36
• D. LEFS

Answer: (B)

In physical therapy practice, evaluating hip function benefits from a hip-specific, patient-centered measure that covers how the hip affects daily life and activity. The Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) does exactly that by assessing multiple domains: Pain, Other Symptoms, Activities of Daily Living, Function in Sport and Recreation, and Hip-Related Quality of Life. This breadth makes HOOS sensitive to changes from PT interventions and relevant to both everyday function and more demanding activities.

Other options are less targeted for hip function. The Harris Hip Score focuses more on outcomes after hip arthroplasty and can be narrower in scope and less sensitive to broader hip-related issues. The SF-36 is a generic quality-of-life measure that may miss hip-specific changes. The Lower-Extremity Functional Scale captures general lower-extremity function but isn’t hip-specific, so it may not detect hip-focused problems as precisely.

Because HOOS is tailored to hip problems and provides a comprehensive view of how the hip influences function and quality of life, it’s the most commonly used choice to assess hip function in PT practice.