Back Pain Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Back Pain, including details on lower back pain, sciatica, treatment, prevention, medication.

Cross-cultural adaption of the Manniche questionnaire for German-speaking low back pain patients.

Nuhr MJ, Crevenna R, Quittan M, Auterith A, Wiesinger GF, Brockow T, Nuhr P, Fialka-Moser V, Haig A, Ebenbichler G

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria. martin.nuhr@univie.ac.at

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a cross-cultural version of the Manniche Low Back Pain Rating Scale (MRS) for use in German-speaking low back pain patients. BACKGROUND: Clinical intervention research in back pain would be enormously facilitated if a small number of relevant, patient-centred questionnaires became internationally used. MRS seems to be particularly suitable for cross-cultural adaptation due to its coverage of multidimensional back pain-specific health domains. METHODS: MRS was translated and back-translated, pretested and reviewed by a committee. The German version was tested in 126 patients with low back pain from all countries of German-speaking Europe. Reliability (subsample n = 20), dimensionality and construct validity was assessed. Single-dimensionality, higher correlations of MRS with the physical scales compared with the mental scales of the MOS SF-36, a moderate to good correlation with the Roland Morris Questionnaire and a low correlation with the Finger Floor Distance were hypothesized. RESULTS: Spearman's Rho for test-retest reliability was 0.98 (p < 0.001); Cronbach's alpha 0.95. Factor analysis revealed only 1 factor with an Eigenvalue >1 [3.25]. MRS was strongly correlated with the Roland Morris Questionnaire (r = 0.91), and slightly correlated with the Finger Floor Distance (r = 0.23). Correlations of MRS with domains of the SF-36 "Physical Functioning", "Role Physical" and "Bodily Pain" were higher (r -0.66 to -0.72) than with "Role Emotional", "Mental Health" and "Social Functioning" (r -0.34 to -0.61). CONCLUSION: The German version of the MRS seems to be reliable, uni-dimensional and construct valid for the assessment of functional status in German-speaking low back pain patients.

Published 21 April 2005 in J Rehabil Med, 36(6): 267-72.

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