The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire. Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Italian version

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (DMS) are biomechanical overload diseases whose onset is attributable to multiple factors. In fact, in addition to physical factors, such as microtrauma, overloads or inadequate posture protracted over time, has been recognized a fundamental role in the etiology of DMS also to bio-psychosocial factors. There is currently no Italian version of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (OMPQ). The aim of this study was to describe the process of translating the OMPQ into Italian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. METHODS: Translation of the questionnaire through a multi-stage process. Two independent translators translated the original version into Italian and then an optimized version into Italian was created. A backward translation was made to check for any differences. During the first administration the OMPQ, VAS and ODI questionnaire was submitted. The inclusion criteria were current pain in the lumbar region of the back, over 18 years old, ability to understand and speak Italian. The exclusion criteria were current or previous neoplasms, metastases, infectious processes, rheumatic diseases, osteoporosis, fractures, cognitive problems, and refusal of the patient to participate in the study. The statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the reliability, internal consistency, correlation with the comparison scales and validity of the construct. RESULTS: The questionnaire was administered to 172 patients and after 1 week only 1/3 completed the re-test. From the data obtained from the statistical analysis it has been demonstrated that the questionnaire has a good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s α is 0.829 and an excellent reliability evaluated through the ICC with C.I 95% equal to 0.977. The correlation with ODI was high (r=0.733) and high with VAS (r=0.610). CONCLUSIONS: The Italian version of the OMPQ questionnaire is valid and reliable as an evaluation tool for patients with musculoskeletal pain at risk of developing chronic disability.