Search

This article reports that a Pain Assessment Index (PAI), computed from a weighted combination of MMPI scale scores, has been developed to assess a pain patient's tendency toward continued pain complaints after surgery. The large number of patients who fail to respond to medical and surgical treatments for low back pain suggests that nonorganic factors are important in maintaining pain problems and that the ability of physicians to select patients who are likely to benefit from a particular treatment is less than optimal. The results demonstrate that the PAI, computed from presurgery MMPIs, is associated significantly with back pain patients' functioning, in terms of pain reported, work status, ability to engage in normal activities, and analgesic medication use, 1 year or more after lumbar laminectomy and discectomy for discogenic disease.