Pain and function after total hip replacement. Free with attribution.
Oxford Hip Score (Oxford Hip Score (OHS)) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess pain and function after total hip replacement. The instrument contains 12 items.
Source / attribution: Dawson J, Fitzpatrick R, Carr A, Murray D. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1996;78-B(2):185-190. © Isis Innovation.
The instrument's primary construct — pain and function after total hip replacement — is operationalized through a fixed set of items, each with a defined response format. This standardisation is what allows Oxford Hip Score scores to be compared meaningfully across clinicians, sites, and studies.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, Oxford Hip Score is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 12 items below to see your Oxford Hip Score score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 5-point scale (0–4). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Oxford Hip Score uses simple summation: each item's selected response is converted to a numeric value, and the values are added to produce a total score. Reverse-scored items are inverted before summation.
Scoring notes: Higher score = better function (modern 0–48 scoring).
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–19 | Severe hip arthritis | Likely to need surgical assessment. |
| 20–29 | Moderate-to-severe arthritis | Surgical opinion may be helpful. |
| 30–39 | Mild-to-moderate arthritis | Conservative management. |
| 40–48 | Satisfactory joint function | Symptoms unlikely to need replacement. |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How would you describe the pain you usually have from your hip? | Mild | 2 |
| 2 | Have you had trouble washing and drying yourself because of your hip? | With moderate difficulty | 2 |
| 3 | Have you had trouble getting in / out of a car or using public transport because of your hip? | With moderate difficulty | 2 |
| 4 | Have you been able to put on a pair of socks, stockings or tights? | With moderate difficulty | 2 |
| 5 | Could you do household shopping on your own? | With moderate difficulty | 2 |
| 6 | How long can you walk before pain becomes severe (with or without a stick)? | 5–15 minutes | 2 |
| 7 | Have you been able to climb a flight of stairs? | With moderate difficulty | 2 |
| 8 | After a meal (sat at a table), how painful is it for you to stand up because of your hip? | Moderately painful | 2 |
| 9 | Have you been limping when walking because of your hip? | Sometimes / just at first | 2 |
| 10 | Have you had any sudden severe pain — 'shooting', 'stabbing' or 'spasms' — from the affected hip? | Some days | 2 |
| 11 | How much has pain from your hip interfered with your usual work (including housework)? | Moderately | 2 |
| 12 | Have you been troubled by pain from your hip in bed at night? | Only 1–2 nights | 3 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 = 25
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 25 falls between 20 and 29 → Moderate-to-severe arthritis
Moderate-to-severe arthritis. Surgical opinion may be helpful.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. Oxford Hip Score supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If Oxford Hip Score doesn't fit your context, related instruments in orthopaedics include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | Self-reported low-back-pain functional disability | 10 | — |
| NDI | Self-reported neck-pain functional disability | 10 | — |
| Oxford Knee Score | Pain and function after total knee replacement | 12 | — |
| LEFS | Function with lower-extremity musculoskeletal disorders | 20 | — |
| IPSS | Lower-urinary-tract symptoms in men | 7 | — |
| IIEF-5 / SHIM | Erectile dysfunction screen | 5 | — |
| DLQI | Skin-disease impact on health-related quality of life | 10 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| POEM | Atopic eczema severity over the past week | 7 | — |
Oxford Hip Score (Oxford Hip Score (OHS)) is a validated instrument that assesses pain and function after total hip replacement. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 12 items are summed to produce a total score.
Oxford Hip Score contains 12 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 48, grouped into 4 interpretation bands from ‘Severe hip arthritis’ up to ‘Satisfactory joint function’.
On the Oxford Hip Score (total score 0–48), scores of 40–48 fall in the ‘Satisfactory joint function’ band — interpreted as: Symptoms unlikely to need replacement. The full ladder is: 0–19 — Severe hip arthritis: Likely to need surgical assessment.; 20–29 — Moderate-to-severe arthritis: Surgical opinion may be helpful.; 30–39 — Mild-to-moderate arthritis: Conservative management.; 40–48 — Satisfactory joint function: Symptoms unlikely to need replacement. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 0–19 fall in the ‘Severe hip arthritis’ band: Likely to need surgical assessment. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
Oxford Hip Score is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Dawson J et al. The Oxford Hip Score. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1996;78(2):185-190. This is the original publication for the Oxford Hip Score — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. Oxford Hip Score is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of pain and function after total hip replacement — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
Oxford Hip Score is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: