This Free, at Home Test Can Help You Assess Your Knee Pain: Understanding the WOMAC Test

Is your mother wincing on the stairs or Dad rubbing his knees after his morning walk? These images are common among our parents, many of whom call it a “part of ageing”.

Small signs like these often mark the first whisper of knee osteoarthritis, yet most parents brush them aside with “I’m fine, beta”.

Before you book an expensive scan or fall down an internet rabbit-hole, give them a quick, clinically validated knee pain assessment they can do right at the dining-table: the WOMAC questionnaire.

Simple tick-boxes turn that vague ache into a number you and their doctor can track so you know whether a brace, physiotherapy or more advanced osteoarthritis treatment is truly needed. 

It is called the WOMAC questionnaire — short for Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. It was originally created in the early 1980s as a research tool for evaluating knee pain, joint stiffness, and everyday function in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) and has since become the gold-standard starting point for almost every new OA case worldwide.

Why This Home Test Matters

Doctors need objective numbers to decide whether exercise therapy for osteoarthritis will suffice or if you should consider platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stem-cell injections or knee replacement surgery. The WOMAC turns your day-to-day pain story into a score they can track. Because the questions are self-reported, you can fill it in at home and carry the print-out to your first appointment—saving time and helping the specialist make faster, clearer decisions.

What Exactly is WOMAC?

The WOMAC questionnaire is divided into three main domains: pain, stiffness, and physical function.

The pain domain includes 5 questions, with a total score that can range from 0 to 20. It helps measure how much discomfort a person experiences in daily activities such as walking, standing, or resting.

The stiffness domain includes 2 questions, and scores range from 0 to 8. It captures how stiff the joints feel, especially after periods of rest or first thing in the morning.

The physical function domain is the most detailed, with 17 questions assessing everyday movements like climbing stairs, bending, or getting dressed. This section has a score range of 0 to 68.

In all three domains, higher numbers reflect more severe symptoms. Some clinics may convert the total scores into a 0–100 scale for easier interpretation—so it’s helpful to ask your doctor which version they follow.

How to Do the Entire WOMAC in under 10 Minutes

Below is the full 24-item WOMAC questionnaire exactly as it is used in clinics and research.  Ask the person to think about their last 48 hours and tick one box per row:

0 = None 1 = Slight 2 = Moderate 3 = Severe 4 = Extreme

Scoring

• Add each domain separately.
• Higher scores = worse pain, stiffness or disability.

A change of about 10% in any domain is usually considered a meaningful improvement or worsening. (American Physical Therapy Association)

Feel free to print or copy this table so parents can complete it at home and share the results with their clinician.

Making the Most of Your Score

1. Be consistent – Fill the form at the same time of day, before taking pain-killers.
2. Track the trend – Repeat every four weeks; graph the numbers on your phone or in a notebook.
3. Share with your clinician – Bring the sheet to consultations; it speeds up decision-making.
4. Pair with movement goals – Combine WOMAC tracking with step counts or exercise logs for a fuller picture.

Limitations to Remember

• It measures your perception; mood or weather can nudge the score.
• It does not diagnose the cause of pain X-rays or MRI may still be needed.
• High scores do not mean you have failed; they simply flag that stronger interventions may help.

Takeaway

Born as an osteoarthritis research tool, the WOMAC questionnaire has stood the test of time and geography. Five tick-boxes give you and your doctor a common language for planning treatment and judging whether that new brace, injection or physiotherapy routine is truly working. Download a printable version, fill it honestly and take charge of your knee health one number at a time.