Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index Calculator

Pain Intensity 0 I have no pain at the moment 1 The pain is very mild at the moment 2 The pain is moderate at the moment 3 The pain is fairly severe at the moment 4 The pain is very severe at the moment 5 The pain is the worst imaginable Personal Care 0 I can look after myself normally 1 It is painful to look after myself 2 I need some help but manage most tasks 3 I need help every day 4 I need help with most self care tasks 5 I cannot look after myself at all Lifting 0 I can lift heavy weights 1 I can lift heavy weights but it gives extra pain 2 Pain prevents me from lifting heavy weights but I can manage medium weights 3 I can lift only very light weights 4 I cannot lift anything from the floor but I can lift if placed on a table 5 I cannot lift or carry anything Walking 0 Pain does not prevent me walking 1 Pain prevents me walking more than one mile 2 Pain prevents me walking more than half a mile 3 Pain prevents me walking more than one quarter mile 4 I can only walk with a stick or crutches 5 I am in bed most of the time Sitting 0 I can sit in any chair for as long as I like 1 I can only sit in my favorite chair 2 Pain prevents me sitting more than one hour 3 Pain prevents me sitting more than half an hour 4 Pain prevents me sitting more than ten minutes 5 Pain prevents me sitting at all Standing 0 I can stand as long as I want 1 I can stand as long as I want but with pain 2 Pain prevents me standing more than one hour 3 Pain prevents me standing more than half an hour 4 Pain prevents me standing more than ten minutes 5 Pain prevents me standing at all Sleeping 0 My sleep is never disturbed by pain 1 My sleep is occasionally disturbed 2 I have trouble sleeping less than one hour 3 I have trouble sleeping one to two hours 4 I have trouble sleeping more than two hours 5 I cannot sleep at all Traveling 0 I can travel anywhere without pain 1 I can travel but with extra pain 2 Pain restricts my travel to less than two hours 3 Pain restricts my travel to less than one hour 4 Pain restricts my travel to short journeys only 5 I cannot travel at all Social Life 0 My social life is normal and gives no extra pain 1 My social life is normal but increases my pain 2 Pain prevents me from participating in more energetic activities 3 Pain restricts my social life significantly 4 I only go out with help 5 I do not go out at all Walking Ability at Home 0 I can walk normally at home 1 I can walk but with pain 2 Pain limits my walking inside the home 3 I can walk only with support 4 I walk very little at home 5 I cannot walk at all inside the home Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index Comprehensive Explanation and Clinical Context The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Index is one of the most widely used clinical tools to quantify disability related to chronic low back pain. It evaluates the degree to which pain affects daily function across ten domains including self care lifting sitting standing sleeping and social engagement. Each item is scored from zero to five producing a total that reflects the functional impact of pain on the patient.

The resulting percentage allows clinicians to categorize disability severity and guide the choice of therapy and rehabilitation strategies. Scores closer to zero reflect minimal disability while higher values indicate severe impairment that may require intensive intervention. The index is also valuable for monitoring progression or improvement over time and is frequently used in clinical trials and outcome research.

Reference Fairbank JC and Pynsent PB The Oswestry Disability Index Spine Journal 2000