These data provide both validation and st and ards for other users and indicate the power of the instrument for detecting change in sample population s. CONCLUSIONS The  ODI  remains a valid and vigorous measure and has been a worthwhile outcome measure .
The behavior of the instrument is incompletely understood , particularly in sensitivity to real change
STUDY DESIGN The Oswestry Disability Index ( ODI ) has become one of the principal condition-specific outcome measures used in the management of spinal disorders .
This review is based on publications using the ODI identified from the authors ' personal data bases , the Science Citation Index , and h and search es of Spine and current textbooks of spinal disorders .
OBJECTIVES To review the versions of this instrument , document methods by which it has been vali date d , collate data from scores found in normal and back pain population s , provide curves for power calculations in studies using the ODI , and maintain the ODI as a gold st and ard outcome measure .
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA It has now been 20 years since its original publication .
More than 200 citations exist in the Science Citation Index .
Measurement Properties of a Self‐Administered Outcome Measure in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Study Design The measurement properties and validity of a newly developed patient question naire for the assessment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis was tested in an ongoing prospect i ve multicenter observational study of patients undergoing decompressive surgery in three teaching hospitals . Objective The goal of the study was to develop a short , self‐administered question naire on symptom severity , physical functional status , and patient satisfaction . Summary of Background Data The measure is intended to complement existing generic measures of spinal‐related disability and health status . The question naire includes three scales with seven questions on symptom severity , five on physical function , and six on satisfaction . Methods The internal consistency of the scales was assessed with Cronbach 's coefficient alpha on crosssectional data from 193 patients before surgery . The test‐retest reliability was assessed on data from a r and om sample of 23 patients using Spearman 's rank correlation coefficient . The responsiveness was assessed on 130 patients with 6‐month follow‐up data using the st and ardized response mean . Results The test‐retest reliability of the scales ranged from 0.82 to 0.96 , the internal consistency from 0.64 to 0.92 , and the responsiveness from 0.96 to 1.07 . The direction , statistical significance , and strength of hypothesized relationships with external criteria were as expected . Conclusions This short self‐administered spinal stenosis measure is reproducible , internally consistent , valid , and highly responsive . It can be used to complement generic instruments in outcome assessment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis
These data provide both validation and st and ards for other users and indicate the power of the instrument for detecting change in sample population s. CONCLUSIONS The  ODI  remains a valid and vigorous measure and has been a worthwhile outcome measure .
The behavior of the instrument is incompletely understood , particularly in sensitivity to real change
STUDY DESIGN The Oswestry Disability Index ( ODI ) has become one of the principal condition-specific outcome measures used in the management of spinal disorders .
This review is based on publications using the ODI identified from the authors ' personal data bases , the Science Citation Index , and h and search es of Spine and current textbooks of spinal disorders .
OBJECTIVES To review the versions of this instrument , document methods by which it has been vali date d , collate data from scores found in normal and back pain population s , provide curves for power calculations in studies using the ODI , and maintain the ODI as a gold st and ard outcome measure .
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA It has now been 20 years since its original publication .
More than 200 citations exist in the Science Citation Index .