The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Outcomes Instruments

The collection of population-based normative data is a necessary step in the process of standardization of eleven American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) musculoskeletal outcomes measures. These data serve as comparative normative scores with which to assess the effectiveness of treatment regimens in clinical practice settings and to study the clinical outcomes of treatment in musculoskeletal research.

With use of a panel mail methodology, self-reported data on the eleven AAOS musculoskeletal outcomes measures were collected from the general population of the United States.