Neck Hurt? That Is the Question

Doctors at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, needed a way to measure and describe neck pain. They wanted a survey that also shows the results of treatment.

This tool needs to be reliable and valid. This means it can be counted on to be accurate from patient to patient, and that it measures what it says it's going to measure.

Following a long series of steps, a group of researchers put together and tested just such a tool. It's called the Cervical Spine Outcomes Questionnaire (CSOQ). The authors put together questions that could be used to assess neck problems. An editor and an English professor reviewed everything to make sure it was easy to understand. They tested it out on a group of 216 neck pain patients.

The CSOQ does all that it's supposed to do and more. It can be used before and after treatment. The CSOQ is easy to use and patients like it. Besides the severity of pain, it also measures function, disability, mental distress, and how satisfied patients are with treatment.

The CSOQ can be used to monitor patients with neck problems throughout their treatment. It is a good way for doctors to measure change after treatment. The CSOQ can be used to follow patients in a clinic or to carry out further research on neck problems and pain.