Paper 34: Normal Shoulder Outcome Score Values in the Young, Active Adult

Although numerous shoulder scores are available to assess pain, function, symptoms, and athletic activities for a variety of shoulder conditions, the majority of shoulder scores have not been tested in a normal subset of patients. The purpose of our study is to determine baseline, normative values for multiple shoulder outcomes scores in a young, active population without shoulder symptoms. A total of 206 patients were recruited to complete a battery of shoulder outcomes scores. Participants were first screened to exclude anyone with a current or prior shoulder condition, or who presented with any shoulder pain. Fourteen patients were excluded based on these criteria or failure to complete the majority of the battery. One hundred ninety-two participants completed the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), modified American Shoulder and Elbow Society Score (ASES), Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score. The mean age was 28.79 (range, 17 to 50, SD 7.4 years), and there were 148 males (77%), 38 females (20%), and 6 undeclared (3%). A total of 59 participants (31%) scored no deficiencies on all of the outcomes instruments (a score of zero, or 100% function). The majority of participants (133 or 69%) demonstrated some level of abnormal shoulder score. The mean scores for all participants were SANE= 97.7 (+/− 5.2), ASES=98.9 (+/− 3.3), WOSI = 82.7 of 2100 (+/− 153.5), SST = 11.79 (+/− 0.60), and DASH = 1.85 (+/− 5.99). The relative scores from a perfect result in descending order were the WOSI (3.9%), the SANE (2.3%), the DASH (1.8%), the SST (1.7%) and the ASES (1.1%). Our results demonstrate, even in a completely asymptomatic population, that the best possible shoulder score may not be equivalent to a perfect score on the outcomes scale. Clinicians and researchers should be aware that normal outcomes scores in a young population may be in the 96 to 98% range of a perfect score. These numbers may be used by future researchers and surgeons to accurately assess outcomes in a young, active adult population.