WOMAC
Encyclopedia
The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) is a set of standardized questionnaire
s used by health professionals to evaluate the condition of patients with osteoarthritis
of the knee
and hip. It can be self-administered and was developed at Western Ontario and McMaster
Universities. It assesses the pain
, joint stiffness, physical, social & emotional function of a person with osteoarthritis in determining the overall level of disability
.
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case...
s used by health professionals to evaluate the condition of patients with osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
of the knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
and hip. It can be self-administered and was developed at Western Ontario and McMaster
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
Universities. It assesses the pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
, joint stiffness, physical, social & emotional function of a person with osteoarthritis in determining the overall level of disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
.