Reliability and validity of Punjabi version of Oswestry Disability Index in patients with mechanical low back pain

ObjectiveOswestry disability Index(ODI) is the commonest patient reported outcome for assessment of disability due to low back pain. Its application to non-English speaking Punjabi population is limited as a validated and cross culturally adapted Punjabi version of ODI is not available. The purpose of the study was to analyse the psychometric properties of Punjabi version of Oswestry disability index (ODI-P) in patients with mechanical low back pain.Materials and methodsThe translation and cross-cultural adaptation of Punjabi version of ODI was done according to well recommended guidelines. The prefinal version was tested on a set of 15 patients and suitable modifications were made. The final version was administered to 113 patients with mechanical low back pain of more than two weeks duration. Psychometric properties comprising of internal consistency, test retest reliability, floor and ceiling effect, construct validity and factorial structure of the questionnaire were determined.ResultsODI-P showed excellent internal consistency (Chronbach alpha of ODI-P is 0.72), test retest reliability (ICC 0.891) and construct validity (Spearman correlation coefficient with VAS 0.424). Factor analysis proved the questionnaire to be having a 1-factor structure with a total variance of 48.61%.ConclusionsODI (P) is a reliable and valid instrument for measurement of disability related to mechanical low back pain in Punjabi population. It can be used both in research and clinical care settings in future.