The Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ) was specifically developed for evaluating clinical out-comes in a population of patients with disabling musculoskeletal disorders, primarily involving the spine. It yields a total functional disability score ranging from 0 (perfect function) to 150 (total disability). The focus, much like other health inventories, is primarily on function, disability, and ADLs. Unlike many other measures, this instrument is designed for any musculoskeletal disorders, rather than low back pain alone. Psychosocial variables, which have been shown to play an integral role in the development and maintenance of chronic disability, are also a component of the PDQ. The psychometric properties of the PDQ demonstrate strong reliability, responsiveness, and validity. The predictive validity of the PDQ with 1-year socioeconomic outcomes following rehabilitation has been demonstrated.


Administering the Pain Disability Questionnaire

Follow these instructions for administering and scoring the PDQ:

  1. Reproduce the PDQ and ask the patient to complete all items on the questionnaire.

  2. If necessary, the patient may complete the form with the assistance of a translator or reader. Be certain all 15 questions are answered. If the patient is unable to complete the PDQ, no functional assessment score will be given.

  3. The evaluating doctor or an assistant will score the PDQ by adding together the marked integer in each question.

  4. If the patient fails to mark a question, the default score for that question is 0.

  5. Apply the final score to Table 17-A and consider this in the Net Adjustment Formula.


The PDQ scores can be divided into 5 distinct categories: no disability (score of 0); mild (scores of 1 to 70); moderate (scores of 71 to 100); severe (scores of 101 to 130); and extreme (scores of 131 to 150).


Questionnaire Score
 Pain Disability
 Grade Modifier
0 No Disability 0
1-70 Mild Disability 1
71-100 Moderate Disability 2
101-130 Severe Disability 3
131-150 Extreme Disability 4