ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This research established test-retest reliability and construct validity for the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPAD). METHODS: Two groups of patients with neck pain completed the NPAD. The first group filled out the scale twice before treatment, whereas the second completed it with a number of other outcome measures once a month for 4 months, for evaluation of treatment with injections. RESULTS: The reliability coefficient (r2 = 0.93) calculated from the data for the first group of patients indicated high test-retest reliability. Construct validity was demonstrated with the second group when the NPAD was compared with a number of other pain measures and found to have a larger treatment effect. The Neck Pain and Disability Scale factor scores also indicated that treatment effects varied across the four factors. CONCLUSIONS: The NPAD is a stable and responsive measure for patients with neck pain. The Neck Pain and Disability Scale factor scores are useful in identifying treatment effects on the specific dimensions involved in the pain experience.
Subject(s)
Disability Evaluation , Neck Pain/diagnosis , Pain Measurement/methods , Pain Measurement/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adult , Analysis of Variance , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
A clinical study tested the therapeutic efficacy of Botulinum toxin A (BTXA) when injected into symptomatic neck muscles after one injection session. Patients with chronic neck pain were randomly assigned to receive either a high dose of an active treatment or an injection of the same volume of normal saline. Patients were compared for 4 months using a comprehensive set of outcome measures that included the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (Spine 24 (1999) 1290) and pressure algometry (Arch Phys Med Rehabil 67 (1986) 406; Pain 30 (1987) 115; Clin J Pain 2 (1987) 207). Analyses were consistent in showing significant benefits from the injection session; however, the effects were not specific to the group treated with BTXA. Both treatment and control groups showed a significant decline in pain and disability across time and an increased ability to withstand pressure on trigger points. The heavy incidence of adverse events in the treatment group may partly explain the absence of a treatment effect specific to BTXA. The results show that a single dose treatment without physical therapy is not effective for chronic neck pain.
