The nonarthritic hip score: reliable and validated.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the validity, internal consistency, and reproducibility of a short, self-administered hip score designed for use in younger patients with higher demands and expectations than older patients with degenerative joint disease. Validity and internal consistency was studied with 48 consecutive patients with a mean age of 33 years with intractable hip pain and normal plain radiographs. Reproducibility was assessed from data on an additional random sample of 17 patients with hip pain. The Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.82 and 0.59 between the nonarthritic hip score and the Harris hip score and Short Form-12, respectively showing validity. Cronbach's coefficient alpha measuring the internal consistency within each of the score's four domains ranged from 0.69 to 0.92. The test and retest reproducibility ranged from 0.87 to 0.95 for the four subsets and was 0.96 overall. This short, self-administered questionnaire regarding hip pain in young patients with increased activity demands and high treatment expectations is valid compared with previous measures of hip performance, is internally consistent, and is reproducible.