The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is a recognized tool for evaluating disability due to low back pain. This patient-reported measure helps understand how back pain affects daily activities. Healthcare professionals use the ODI to gauge a patient’s initial condition, monitor progress during treatment, and assess the overall impact of pain on functional life. It provides a standardized metric, helping both patients and clinicians track changes over time.
Structure of the Oswestry Disability Index
The Oswestry Disability Index questionnaire has ten sections, each focusing on a different aspect of daily life. These sections include pain intensity, personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sex life (if applicable), social life, and traveling. Each section contains six statements describing varying levels of disability. The first statement indicates no disability, while the last describes the maximum level.
Patients select the single statement within each section that most accurately reflects their current situation. Each statement is assigned a point value from 0 to 5, with 0 points for the least disability and 5 points for the greatest. This format allows for assessment of how low back pain impacts daily tasks and functional limitations.
Calculating Your Oswestry Score
Calculating your Oswestry Disability Index score involves summing points and converting them into a percentage. First, identify the statement selected in each of the ten sections and assign its point value. Each section contributes a score between 0 and 5 points. Add these individual section scores to get a total raw score. The maximum possible raw score, if all ten sections are completed, is 50 points (10 sections multiplied by 5 points per section).
If all ten sections are completed, divide your total raw score by 50 and multiply by 100 for the percentage. For example, if your total raw score is 22, the calculation would be (22 / 50) 100, resulting in a score of 44%. This percentage represents your overall level of disability.
If a section is unanswered or not applicable (e.g., “sex life”), the scoring method adjusts. Sum the points from answered sections. For each unanswered section, reduce the total possible score (initially 50) by 5 points. For example, if one section was left blank, the new maximum possible score becomes 45 (50 – 5). If two sections were left blank, the maximum possible score would be 40 (50 – 10).
Divide your total raw score by this adjusted maximum and multiply by 100 to get your percentage. For instance, if you answered 9 sections and your total raw score was 22, the calculation would be (22 / 45) 100, which equals approximately 48.8%, typically rounded to 49%. This ensures your final percentage accurately reflects your disability level.
Understanding What Your Score Means
The final Oswestry Disability Index score is expressed as a percentage, indicating how low back pain impacts daily functioning. A higher percentage score indicates a greater level of disability. This percentage allows healthcare providers to categorize the severity of disability and tailor appropriate treatment plans.
Scores between 0% and 20% suggest minimal disability, meaning most daily activities are manageable. In this range, extensive treatment might not be necessary; advice on activities like lifting or sitting posture could be sufficient. A score from 21% to 40% indicates moderate disability, with more pain and difficulty in activities such as sitting, lifting, or standing. Travel and social engagements may become more challenging, and work might be affected, though personal care and sleep are usually not severely impacted.
Scores from 41% to 60% signify severe disability, where pain significantly affects many daily activities. Patients in this category often require more detailed medical investigation. A score between 61% and 80% suggests crippling back pain, significantly interfering with nearly all aspects of life, both at home and at work, requiring intervention. Scores from 81% to 100% indicate an individual is either bed-bound or experiencing severe symptoms, representing the highest level of disability.