Defining mild, moderate, and severe pain in young people with physical disabilities.
Jordi Miró, Rocío de la Vega, Ester Solé and 4 others
PMID 27291566WHAT IT FOUND
For young people with physical disabilities, the best average pain cutoffs were 0-3 mild, 4-6 moderate and 7-10 severe; the best worst pain cutoffs were 0-4 mild, 5-6 moderate and 7-10 severe.
Key findings
01For average pain, the best cutoffs were 0-3 for mild, 4-6 for moderate and 7-10 for severe (F = 32.05).
02For worst pain, the best cutoffs were 0-4 for mild, 5-6 for moderate and 7-10 for severe (F = 41.02).
03Pain interference did not rise evenly with pain rating; moving worst pain from 6 to 7 was associated with an increase in pain interference ranging from 1.92 to 2.88.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample combined five disability diagnoses with unequal group sizes, so the cutoffs may not fit each diagnosis. The study was not large enough to test whether cutoffs differ by diagnosis. The authors said additional studies are needed to establish reliability and generalizability. Pain ratings and pain interference can be influenced by physical, psychological and social factors.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The article is labelled as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these cutoffs as diagnosis-specific or as proof that a treatment works. The study derived them from total pain interference in one sample and did not show that they differ for each disability diagnosis.