• Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS)

  • The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) is a questionnaire containing 20 questions about a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks. The LEFS can be used by clinicians as a measure of patients' initial function, ongoing progress and outcome, as well as to set functional goals.

    The LEFS can be used to evaluate the functional impairment of a patient with a disorder of one or both lower extremities. It can be used to monitor the patient over time and to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention.

  • Scoring instructions

    The columns on the scale are summed to get a total score. The maximum score is 80.

  • Interpretation of scores

    • The lower the score the greater the disability.
    • The minimal detectable change is 9 scale points.
    • The minimal clinically important difference is 9 scale points.
    • % of maximal function = (LEFS score) / 80 * 100

    Performance:

    • The potential error at a given point in time was +/- 5.3 scale points.
    • Test-retest reliability was 0.94.
    • Construct reliability was determined by comparison with the SF-36. The scale was found to be reliable with a sensitivity to change superior to the SF-36.
  • Instructions

    We are interested in knowing whether you are having any difficulty at all with the activities listed below because of your lower limb problem for which you are currently seeking attention. Please provide an answer for each activity.

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  • Scoring: add up the columns then add the column totals to get the score. Higher=Better, Lower=Worse. Increase=Improvement, Decrease=Worsening

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