Background Injury results in a limitation of activity participation. Treatment of injury is designed to return the patient to as a high level of activity as desired.

To design an activity measure that allows clinicians to:

1. Determine patients' pre-injury preferred activities, level of participation, intensity, and frequency of participation.

2. Determine patients' recovery level of participation, intensity, and frequency of participation in the pre-injury preferred activities.

3. Determine if the patients' lack of full return to activity is due to the injury or to other reasons external to the injury.

Setting Orthopaedic community based clinics.

Participants Patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

Intervention Treatment of injury.

Main outcome measure The composite of the patients' current activity participation, level of limitation, and reason for limitation.

Results Favourite/Most Important Activity

Q1 What is this activity?

Prior to Your Injury

Q2 Prior to your injury:

A How long would you normally participate in this activity?

|__|__| Hours per Time

B On average how many days a week would you participate in this activity?

|__| Days per Week

Current Time

Q3 Do you still engage in this sport or activity?

• 1 □ Yes

• 2 □ No

Q4 How much is your ability to participate in this activity limited by your injury?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

None Completely

If None (0) (Go to Q6 – top of next column)

If Limited (1–10) continue with Q5

Q5 What is the primary reason you are limited in this sport or activity anymore?

• 1 □ Your Injury

• 2 □ Other Reason – Describe:

Conclusion This measure allows clinicians to track return to activity over time and understand if the decision to return to pre-injury activity is due to the injury or life events.