A note of caution with respect to the Low Back Pain Perception Scale in primary care physiotherapy

BACKGROUND:
The predictive validity of the Low Back Pain Perception Scale is determined in two studies in general practice and showed sufficient discriminative ability, although the psychometric properties of the scale have never been established until now.

OBJECTIVE:
To determine the reliability and validity of the Low Back Pain Perception Scale in acute nonspecific low back pain patients.

METHODS:
The Low Back Pain Perception Scale has been authorized translated into Dutch by two bilingual content experts. A sample of 84 acute low back pain patients in physiotherapy primary care, mean age (SD) age 42 (12) years participated in this study. Internal reliability and a test-retest procedure within one-week interval were evaluated.

RESULTS:
The internal consistency Cronbach α=0.38 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.56) and test - retest reliability within one week Intra Class Correlation coefficient=0.50 (95% CI 0.31 to 0.64). Minimal Detectable Change was measured 1.95. The concurrent validity demonstrates Pearson's r=0.35 (95% CI 0.14 to 0.53).

CONCLUSIONS:
The Low Back Pain Perception Scale demonstrates poor internal consistency and reliability and moderate concurrent validity. Extreme high or low scores may be clinical relevant therefore the scale can be used as a first screening instrument.