CLINICAL LIMITATIONS OF THE LOW BACK SCALE.

The article examines the clinical limitations of the Low Back (Lb) Scale. In a study, the Lb Scale, a special derivative of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, to 20 patients with functional low back pain and 20 patients with verifiable organic evidence for their low back complaints was administered. The Social Desirability Scale also was administered in order to assess the test-taking attitudes of the patients. The two groups of patients were equated in terms of age and sex. The results revealed no significant differences between the functional and organic patients in scores on the Lb Scale and on the Social Desirability Scale. The findings, which were consistent with other recent studies of the Lb Scale, strongly suggested that the clinical usefulness of this scale is highly questionable.