Acute Low Back Pain Screening Questionnaire (ALBPSQ) / Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ)
A biopsychosocial screening instrument designed to identify patients with acute low back pain who are at risk of developing chronic pain and long-term disability.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Acute Low Back Pain Screening Questionnaire (ALBPSQ) / Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) was developed by Linton SJ, Halldén K (Original); Kole-Snijders AMJ, Sillen W, Willen A, Heuts PHTG, Vlaeyen JWS (Dutch version) (1998). It is designed to measure Risk of chronic low back pain development. The scale is intended for use with Adults with acute low back pain (duration < 12 weeks).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Pain, Function, Psychological Factors, Expectations and Control, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Function | 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 8 |
| Psychological Factors | 13,14 | 2 |
| Expectations and Control | 15,16,20,21 | 4 |
| Fear-Avoidance Beliefs | 17,18,19 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = 0 (Low risk/No pain/No difficulty/No chance), 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = 9, 10 = 10 (High risk/Worst pain/Cannot do/Very large chance).
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 210. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low risk of developing chronic pain / long-term disability: 0 – 90
- Moderate risk of developing chronic pain / long-term disability: 91 – 105
- High risk of developing chronic pain / long-term disability: 106 – 210
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.80 to 0.90 in validation studies.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.