Table 2 Content of clinical assessment: clinical interview, physical examination and self-complete questionnaire
| Concept | Measurement method | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Interview | ||
| Pre-assessment screening: | ||
| Screen for clinical "red flags" |
Recent significant foot or hand injury Recent sudden change in foot symptoms | |
| Screen for joint surgery | History of joint operations | |
| Foot pain characteristics | Side of pain | |
| Comparative severity of bilateral symptoms | ||
| Duration | Within 12 months, 1-5 years, 5-10 years, 10+ years (for each foot) | |
| Preceding accident/injury | Yes/no | |
| Foot pain/aching/discomfort in last month | Yes/no | |
| Foot pain quality | Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire [47] | 15 sensory and affective descriptors |
| Sleep disturbance | Self-report | Yes/no |
| Sensory disturbance | Self-reported tingling/numbness/pins and needles | Yes/no (for each foot) |
| Causal attribution | What do you think has caused the problem with your foot/feet? | Recorded verbatim |
| Diagnostic attribution | What do you think is the matter with your foot/feet now? | Recorded verbatim |
| Foot surgery | Details of any foot surgery |
Nature of surgery Right/left < 1 year, 1- < 5 years, 5- < 10 years, 10+ years ago |
| Foot/ankle injury | Details of foot/ankle injury |
Sprain, fracture, other Right/left; forefoot, mid-foot, heel, ankle < 1 year, 1- < 5 years, 5- < 10 years, 10+ years ago |
| Planned treatment | Are you waiting for any appointments or treatments for this foot or ankle problem? | Yes/no (free text comments for yes) |
| Importance of health problems | What would you consider to be your two most important health problems at the moment? [Includes foot problem] | Recorded verbatim |
| Physical examination | ||
| Screen for clinical "red flags" | Acutely, swollen, hot, painful feet or hands | Yes/no (free text for comments) |
| Observation | Skin lesions | Bunionette, hyperkeratotic lesions, ulcers (plantar and dorsal aspect) |
| Toe deformity |
MTPJ and interphalangeal joint hyperextension Mallet toe, hammer toe, claw toe, retracted toe |
Present/absent (great toe) Present/absent (lesser toes) |
| Palpation |
Mid-foot bony exostosis Plantar fascia tenderness |
Present/absent Present/absent (insertion and mid-arch) |
| Foot posture | Foot Posture Index [50] | Six-criterion scoring system |
| Navicular Height [49] | Millimetres | |
| Foot Length [51] | Millimetres | |
| Arch index [48, 49] | Weightbearing footprint. Length of footprint excluding toes is divided into equal thirds. Arch index = area of middle third divided by area of entire footprint | |
| Range of movement (foot/ankle) | Ankle dorsiflexion (with knee flexed and extended) [53] | Degrees |
| Subtalar inversion [52] | Degrees | |
| Subtalar eversion [52] | Degrees | |
| 1st MTP joint dorsiflexion [54] | Degrees | |
| Knee valgus/varus deformity | Intercondylar distance | Centimetres |
| Intermalleolar distance | Centimetres | |
| Anthropometric measurements | Height | Metres |
| Weight | Kilograms | |
| Lower limb physical function | Short physical performance battery (SPPB) [57] | Standing balance test, timed repeated chair stand test, 4-metre gait speed test |
| Hand osteoarthritis | Deformity, enlargement, swelling, nodes [55] | Observation and palpation: swelling (MCPJ), nodes (PIPJ and DIPJ), deformity and enlargement (1st CMCJ, PIPJ and DIPJ) |
| Hand function | Power grip strength (Jamar dynanometer) [56] | Pounds |
| Pinch grip strength (B&L pinch gauge) [56] | Pounds | |
| Self-complete questionnaire | ||
| Section A: Foot Pain | ||
| Foot pain chronicity | Chronic Pain Grade [59] | 6 questions (0-10 NRS) and 1 question (4 response options) giving grade I-IV |
| Complaint-specific functioning | Symptom satisfaction [64] | 5-point Likert scale (Very dissatisfied to Very satisfied) |
| Section B: Hand pain and problems | ||
| Hand pain characteristics |
Hand pain in last 12 months Side of pain Duration in past 12 months Hand pain, aching, stiffness in last month [55] |
Present/absent < 7 days, 1-4 weeks, 1-3 months, 3+ months No days, few days, some days, most days, all days |
| Hand pain intensity in last month [40] | 0-10 NRS with verbal anchors (no pain, pain as bad as could be) | |
|
Location: self-completed hand manikin [60] AUSCAN [65, 66] | In the past month, have you had any ache or pain that has lasted for one day or longer in your hand? If yes, shade location on hand manikin | |
| Pain and stiffness sub-scales | ||
| Complaint-specific functioning | AUSCAN [65, 66] | Physical function sub-scale |
| Hand dominance | Self-report | Right, left, both |
| Healthcare use | GP consultation within last 12 months for hand problem | |
| Section C: Hip pain | ||
| Hip pain characteristics | Side of pain | Both, right, left |
| Duration in past 12 months | < 7 days, 1-4 weeks, 1-3 months, 3+ months | |
| Hip pain, aching, stiffness in last month [61] | No days, few days, some days, most days, all days. | |
| WOMAC (hip) [62] | Pain and stiffness sub-scales | |
| Complaint-specific functioning | WOMAC (hip) [62] | Physical function sub-scale |
| Healthcare use | GP consultation within last 12 months for hip pain | |
| Section D: Knee pain | ||
| Knee pain characteristics | Side of pain | Both, right, left |
| Duration in past 12 months | < 7 days, 1-4 weeks, 1-3 months, 3+ months | |
| Knee pain, aching, stiffness in last month [63] | No days, few days, some days, most days, all days. | |
| WOMAC (knee) [62] | Pain and stiffness sub-scales | |
| Complaint-specific functioning | WOMAC (knee) [62] | Physical function sub-scale |
| Healthcare use | GP consultation within last 12 months for knee pain | |