Foot & Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Score Calculator

Assesses physical function in lower leg, foot and ankle musculoskeletal disorders.

Refer to the text below the calculator for more information about this self-reported measure and its statistical properties.

FAAM is a reliable, responsive and accurate tool for assessing physical function in individuals with a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions affecting the lower leg, foot, and ankle.

The FAAM offers clinicians a tool to assess function and disability based on patients' self-reported responses. When utilized for evaluation, it can track changes in an individual's function and disability over time.

The points for each item are totalled to calculate the overall score for each subscale. Subscale scores range from 0% (indicating the least function) to 100% (indicating the highest function). Higher scores reflect greater levels of function, with 100% representing no dysfunction.

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Steps on how to print your input & results:

1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.

2. Then you can click on the Print button to open a PDF in a separate window with the inputs and results. You can further save the PDF or print it.

Please note that once you have closed the PDF you need to click on the Calculate button before you try opening it again, otherwise the input and/or results may not appear in the pdf.

Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Explained

FAAM is a self-reported outcome measure designed to evaluate the physical function of individuals with musculoskeletal conditions affecting the leg, foot, and ankle. This instrument is available in multiple languages, including English, German, French, and Persian. It is completed by patients and includes two subscales: the "Activities of Daily Living" subscale, which contains 21 scored items, and the "Sports" subscale, with 8 scored items. The Sports subscale is tailored to athletes, focusing on more challenging tasks essential for sports performance.

FAAM closely resembles the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI), with the primary difference being that the FADI includes an additional five items. Four of these items are related to pain, and one addresses the ability to sleep, which have been removed from the FAAM.

Both the FADI and FAAM are considered appropriate, patient-reported tools for assessing functional disabilities, particularly in patients with chronic ankle instability. The FAAM allows clinicians to evaluate function and disability through patient self-reports and can track changes in function and disability over time when used for ongoing assessment.

Scoring the FAAM

The ADL and Sports subscales are scored separately. The response options are presented as 5-point Likert scales (range 4 to 0).

No difficulty (+4);
Slight difficulty (+3);
Moderate difficulty (+2);
Extreme difficulty (+1);
Unable to do (0);
Not Applicable (N/A).

The patient is instructed to answer each question with the response that best describes their condition over the past week. If an activity is restricted by something other than their foot or ankle, they should mark it as Not Applicable (N/A). The patient is then asked how much difficulty they encountered with the activities in the subscales, due to their foot and/or ankle.

For accurate results, it is recommended that scores for the FAAM ADL and Sports subscales be calculated only when 90% or more of the items are completed (at least 19 of 21 items for the ADL subscale and 7 of 8 items for the Sports subscale).

The minimal detectable change (MDC) is 6 points for the ADL and 12 points for the Sports subscale. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is 8 points for the ADL and 9 points for the Sports subscale.

About the original study

The FAAM instrument was developed by Martin et al. in 2005. The study used item response theory for the final item reduction, involving 1,027 participants. Validity was assessed with two groups: 164 participants expected to show improvement and 79 expected to remain stable. These individuals completed both the FAAM and SF-36 questionnaires twice, with a 4-week interval between assessments.

Test-retest reliability was found to be 0.89 for the ADL subscale and 0.87 for the Sports subscale. The minimal detectable change, based on a 95% confidence interval, was ±5.7 points for the ADL subscale and ±12.3 points for the Sports subscale.

The ADL and Sports subscales of the FAAM showed strong correlations with the SF-36 physical function subscale (r = .84 and r = .78), but weak correlations with the SF-36 mental function subscale (r = .18 and r = .11).

Overall, FAAM is a reliable, responsive, and valid tool for measuring physical function in individuals with a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders affecting the lower leg, foot, and ankle.

References

Original reference

Martin RL, Irrgang JJ, Burdett RG, Conti SF, Van Swearingen JM. Evidence of validity for the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM). Foot Ankle Int. 2005; 26(11):968-83.