Oswestry Disability Index

Original Editor - Rachael Lowe

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Objective

Patient-completed questionnaire which gives a subjective percentage score of level of function (disability) in activities of daily living in those rehabilitating from low back pain.

Link to Document

Intended Population

Acute or chronic low back pain.  Most effective for persistent severe disability while the Roland-Morris is better for mild to moderate disability

Method of Use

Questionnaire examines perceived level of disability in 10 everyday activities of daily living.

The 6 statements are scored from 0 to 5 with the first statement scoring 0 through to the last at 5, e.g.,
Section 1 - Pain intensity
• I have no pain at the moment. Score = 0
• The pain is very mild at the moment. Score = 1
• The pain is moderate at the moment. Score = 2
• The pain is fairly severe at the moment. Score = 3
• The pain is very severe at the moment. Score = 4
• The pain is the worst imaginable at the moment. Score = 5

If more than one box is marked in each section, take the highest score.

The ODI score (index) is calculated as:

For example:

If all 10 sections are completed the score is calculated as follows:

if 16 (total scored) out of 50 (total possible score) x 100 = 32%

If one section is missed (or not applicable) the score is calculated:

If 16 (total scored) / 45 (total possible score) x 100 = 35.5%

Rounding the percentage to a whole number for convenience is suggested.

Reference

Fairbank J, Couper J, Davies J, O'Brian J. The Oswestry low backpain questionnaire, Physiotherapy 1980;66:271-3. (Version 1.0)

Fairbank J, Pynsent P. The Oswestry disablility index. Spine 2000;25:2490-53. (Version 2.0)

Roland M, Fairbank J. The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire. Spine 2000;25:3115-3124 (Version 2.1)

Evidence

Reliability

The ODI addresses a broader concept of disability than that directly related to pain intensity.

Validity

Fisher K, Johnston M (1997) Validation of the ODQ, its sensitivity as a measure of change following treatment and its relationship with other aspects of the chronic pain experience Physiotherapy Theory and Practice 13, 67-80

Responsiveness

Bolton JE, Fish RG (1997) Responsiveness of the Revised Oswestry Disability Questionnaire Eur J Chiropractic 45, 1, 9-14

Resources

Baker D, Pynsent PB, Fairbank JCT (1989) The Oswestry disability index revisited: its reliability, repeatability, and validity, and a comparison with St Thomas Disability Index. In Roland MO, Jenner JR eds (1989) Back Pain: new approaches to rehabilitation and education. New York, NY. Manchester University Press 174-186

The Oswestry Disability Index website

Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

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References

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