Low back pain: Reliability of a set of pain measurement tools

Objectives: To determine the reliability and internal consistency of a set of low back pain (LBP)-related measurement tools and to determine whether t hey are appropriate for use in a large-scale, community-based sample in Isr ael. Design: Test-retest reliability study, with an interval of 2 to 14 days bet ween test and retest. Setting: Physiotherapy clinics. Participants: One hundred fifty-one patients with LBP. Main Outcome Measures: The Modified Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (MRMQ); a simple verbal pain severity scale; and modified pain symptoms fre quency and bother-someness indices. Three measures of variables with potent ial association with LBP were also used: a Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionn aire (FABQ), work satisfaction scale, and the Baecke Physical Activity Ques tionnaire (BPAQ). Results: Test-retest reliability was high for the MRMQ, pain symptom indice s, work index of the FABQ, and occupational activity index of the BPAQ; the internal consistency of the MRMQ and FABQ work index were also high (intra class correlation coefficient greater than or equal to .89; alpha = .89). Conclusions: Most measurement tools are reliable and suitable for community LBP studies in Israel. (C) 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the Americ an Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.