Which KOOS subscale is used to specifically assess pain in the knee?

• A. Symptoms
• B. Pain
• C. ADL
• D. QoL

Answer: (B)

The question is about which KOOS domain isolates knee pain. The KOOS framework includes five subscales: Pain, Symptoms, Activities of Daily Living, Sport and Recreation Function, and Knee-Related Quality of Life. The Pain subscale is specifically designed to quantify how much knee pain a person experiences, capturing pain intensity and frequency across different situations (such as during activity and at rest). This is distinct from the Symptoms subscale, which covers other knee symptoms like stiffness or swelling, and from the ADL and Sport/Rec subscales, which measure functional impact, or the QoL subscale, which looks at how knee problems affect overall knee-related quality of life. Therefore, to specifically assess knee pain, the Pain subscale is the best choice, and higher scores on this subscale indicate less pain and better pain status.