Lower Extremity Functional Scale

Measure your patient’s functional status with lower extremity impairments and track their progress using our free Lower Extremity Functional Scale assessment.

By Bernard Ramirez on Mar 06, 2024.

Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.

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What Is A Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS)?

The (LEFS) is an outcome measure used to assess the functional status of individuals with lower extremity impairments.

This tool helps evaluate the physical function and disability related to lower extremity impairments and includes walking, stair climbing, balance, and standing. Because of its reliability, this is used in both clinical settings and research studies to measure an individual's progress over time.

The Lower Extremity Functional Scale helps quantify the level of difficulty that individuals experience while performing activities. The score ranges from 20 (no difficulty) to 80 (unable to act).

Printable Lower Extremity Functional Scale

Download this Lower Extremity Functional Scale and assess the function of your client’s lower extremities.

How To Use This Lower Extremity Functional Scale

This LEFS worksheet contains 20 questions to help you measure your patient's lower extremity functionality. Follow these steps to begin:

Step One: Download the assessment

You can get a copy of the LEFS assessment by clicking on the link provided. Once you download it, print it out or save a digital copy for your patient.

Step Two: Give your patient a copy

Give your patient a copy of the LEFS and explain how it works. Tell them each question is scored on a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 being no difficulty and 4 being the total inability to perform the activity.

Step Three: Have your patient complete the assessment

Give your patient the time and space to complete the LEFS independently. Encourage them to answer each question honestly and accurately.

Step Four: Calculate the score

Once your patient has completed the assessment, calculate their total score by adding all the numbers. Scores range from 0 to 80, with 0 representing no difficulty and 80 representing total inability to perform the activity.

Step Five: store the worksheet properly

Make sure to store the worksheet properly so that you can refer back to it if needed. You may also want to note your patient’s LEFS score in their medical chart.

Lower Extremity Functional Scale Example (Sample)

We created a filled-out lower extremity functional scale example to help you get started. The worksheet provides an insight into a fictitious character's functional scale, illustrating how the LEFS works in a real-world setting. You can download the Lower Extremity Functional Scale example for free in PDF format.

Download this Lower Extremity Functional Scale Example (Sample) here:

 Lower Extremity Functional Scale Example (Sample)

When Would You Typically Use A LEFS?

The LEFS is typically used to measure the functional status of individuals with lower extremity impairments and track their progress over time. It can also be used to:

Measure the functional status of individuals with lower extremity impairments

This scale measures how well your patient can do activities related to their lower body, like walking and standing. It can help you understand how much difficulty your patient has with each activity.

Track progress over time

You can use the lower extremity functional scale to monitor the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions. It allows for a better understanding of how your patient responds to the treatments they are receiving.

Assess individuals’ level of difficulty

The LEFS can provide valuable insight into individuals' difficulties with specific activities. This can help you look closer at how your patient functions in their daily life and tailor the most beneficial interventions.

Who Can Use these Printable Lower Extremity Functional Scale?

LEFS is a handy assessment tool that enables medical practitioners to measure the functional status of individuals with lower extremity impairments. It can be used in a variety of clinical settings and is suitable for the following:

 Researchers can also use LEFS to measure the efficacy of treatments and interventions in clinical studies.

Benefits Of Free Lower Extremity Functional Scale

LEFS offers a wide range of benefits for healthcare professionals, including:

Provide insight into an individual's difficulty level

The LEFS can provide valuable insight into individuals' difficulties with specific activities. This can help you better understand how your patient navigates their daily life and create the best interventions for their needs.

It can be used in a variety of clinical settings

The Lower Extremity Functional Scale is a handy assessment tool that enables medical practitioners to measure the functional status of individuals with lower extremity impairments. It can be used in clinical settings like physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, and regular physician visits.

Help tailor interventions that are most beneficial for individuals

You can use LEFS to monitor the effectiveness of your interventions, giving up a more comprehensive look at how your patient responds to the treatments they are receiving.

Completely digital

This LEFS worksheet is entirely digital - you don’t need to print out or carry around paper copies. You can provide a digital copy to your patient and ask them to answer the worksheet if they cannot attend their in-person session.

Why Use Carepatron For Lower Extremity Functional Scale Software?

Carepatron is the ideal choice for managing your practice more efficiently. With Carepatron, you can easily organize patient records, appointments, billing and payments, schedules, documents, and treatments while tracking key performance metrics in real-time.

Plus, Carepatron provides automated services such as appointment reminders to reduce no-shows and increase patient engagement. All these features make it easy to manage your medical and healthcare business!

So if you're looking for a comprehensive practice management tool that makes it easy to manage your medical and healthcare business, look no further than Carepatron. Sign up today and start managing your practice more efficiently!

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What does the Lower Extremity Functional Scale measure?
What does the Lower Extremity Functional Scale measure?

Commonly asked questions

What does the Lower Extremity Functional Scale measure?

Healthcare professionals use LEFS to measure how well someone can do activities related to their lower body. It assesses an individual's ability to perform tasks such as walking, climbing stairs, and squatting.

How to score Lower Extremity Functional Scale?

The LEFS scores range from 0 (lowest) to 40 (highest). To score LEFS, you must add points for each activity.

How often do you need to fill out the lower extremity functional scale?

The LEFS should be completed regularly every six weeks or before and after physical therapy interventions.

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