Proximal hamstring tendon avulsion surgery: evaluation of the Perth Hamstring Assessment Tool.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to validate a new scoring system for proximal hamstring injury-the Perth Hamstring Assessment Tool (PHAT).

METHODS: This is a prospective series of 74 consecutive proximal hamstring surgical repairs in 72 patients, with a median age of 50.5 years (range 16-74). Patients completed the PHAT, SF12 Health Survey and Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). The scoring system was validated by calculating its internal consistency, reproducibility, reliability and sensitivity to change. Construct validity was evaluated using Pearson's correlation analysis to examine the strength of association between the PHAT, LEFS and SF-12 scores.

RESULTS: The PHAT showed high completion rate (100 %), high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.80), high reproducibility (ICC 0.84) and high sensitivity to change. There was moderate correlation with the LEFS and low correlation with the Physical Component Score of the SF-12.

CONCLUSION: This study has validated the PHAT as an assessment tool for proximal hamstring tendon injuries. The new questionnaire provides a measure of outcome that is reliable and sensitive to clinically important change. This simple questionnaire provides the clinician with a quick and practical tool for assessing patients with proximal hamstring injuries: to assess pre-operative disability and monitor recovery post-operatively.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.