I was evaluated by a team of specialists for my low back pain. I must have taken six different pencil and paper tests. Does this hurt? How do I feel when this or that hurts? Does my pain get me down? Does it keep me from sleeping at night and on and on. Can’t they just give us one test to cover everything?

Unfortunately, when it comes to chronic low back pain (CLBP), there isn’t a one-size-fits-all test. Each survey, questionnaire, or instrument measures some specific aspect of distress and disability. So far, combining or paring down the assessment tools has not proven successful.

The idea behind such extensive testing is to identify underlying factors that are linked with disability. If treatment can be focused on those risk factors, then management of CLBP may be more effective. Improving function and decreasing disability is the overall goal.