WOMAC

WOMAC stands for Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC)

Utility

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) is a questionnaire based disease rating scale that evaluates the severity of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, including pain, stiffness, and physical functioning of the joints.

Other uses

The WOMAC has also been used to assess back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and fibromyalgia.

Administration

It can be self-administered.

History

It was developed at Western Ontario and McMaster Universities in 1982.

Tested measures

The WOMAC measures five items for pain (score range 0–20), two for stiffness (score range 0–8), and 17 for functional limitation (score range 0–68).

Time

A WOMAC test takes about 12 minutes

Reliability

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) notes that the test-retest reliability of the WOMAC varies for the pain, stiffness, and function subscales.

Application in research

An example of an arthritis study using the WOMAC found a significant dose–response relationship between 10% body weight loss (or gain) and clinically significant improvements (or declines) in WOMAC function and pain for people with osteoarthritis of the knee.

See also

• Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale

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