Development and validation of the elbow demand rating scale.

Background:Overhead sports place the greatest strain on the elbow of any of the upper extremity joints. Unfortunately, athlete-specific functional outcome tools do not exist for the elbow.Hypotheses:The Elbow Demand Rating Scale (EDS) will demonstrate strong reliability and validity properties: (1) test-retest reliability with a 2-week EDS administration, (2) internal reliability of the subscales, and (3) construct validity through lower scores for patients with elbow injuries.Study Design:Prospective case-control study.Methods:Patients with (n = 19) and without elbow injuries (n = 19) completed the EDS during their routine clinical appointment and 2 weeks later. Clinicians completed the functional portion of the EDS.Results:The EDS demonstrated strong test-retest reliability and construct validity. Internal reliability was moderate (α = 0.50). Exploratory analyses further supported construct validity using demographic survey questions regarding elbow pain and symptoms.Conclusion:Overall, the EDS demonstr...