Background

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition associated with significant disability and reduced quality of life. Accurate pain assessment is essential for guiding clinical management; however, the comparative utility of subjective and objective assessment tools remains underexplored.

Aims

To assess pain intensity using the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) and the Pain Pressure Threshold Scale (PPTS), and to compare and correlate pain intensity scores obtained via these instruments in adults with CLBP.

Material and methods

Forty-six patients diagnosed with CLBP were purposively recruited into this observational cross-sectional study and randomly allocated to two groups based on the pain assessment instrument used (Group I: VRS; Group II: PPTS). Digital pressure was applied to the symptomatic lumbar vertebrae, and pain responses were evaluated both subjectively (VRS) and objectively (PPTS).

Results

The mean age of participants was 52 ± 10.23 years. Mean pain scores were 5.35 ± 1.87 (VRS) and 2.24 ± 0.94 (PPTS). There was a significant difference between mean pain intensity assessed by PPTS and VRS (p = 0.00; Cohen’s d = 2.072), but no significant correlation between the two instruments (p = 0.251).

Conclusions

Both the VRS and the PPTS are effective tools for assessing pain in adults with CLBP. The PPTS offers an additional objective dimension to pain quantification.