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 they are appropriate for use in a large-scale, community-based sample in Israel. Design: Test-retest reliability study, with an interval of 2 to 14 days between 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 frequency and bother-someness indices. Three measures of variables with potential association with LBP were also used: a Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), work satisfaction scale, and the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire (BPAQ). Results: Test-retest reliability was high for the MRMQ, pain symptom indices, 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 (intraclass 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 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.