Oswestry Disability Index
The Oswestry Disability Index captures back-related disability across daily activities. This page is for clinics. It is not a diagnosis and not a public test.
Overview
What is the ODI?
ODI organises back-related limitation for clinician review. It is not interchangeable with RMDQ, and it is not a diagnosis of a spinal condition.
Development and clinical use
Fairbank and colleagues published the Oswestry Disability Index. Later versions exist. Confirm the official version before a live pathway.
- Catalogue status
- Educational entry
- Production scoring
- Not independently verified
- Mode
- self-report
- Typical use
- Clinician-reviewed intake
- Clinical role
- Back-related disability support
Administration
A focused client experience
ODI is completed as a focused self-report and stored for clinician review. This public page does not collect answers or return a score.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that results go to the clinic
The illustration shows layout only. It does not reproduce ODI item wording.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Published scoring conventions may exist in official materials. This public page does not independently verify scoring, cutoffs, or a production scoring rule. Use the official form and scoring instructions for the version you intend to use.
References
- ODI paperFairbank JC et al. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. Physiotherapy. 1980;66(8):271-273.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the ODI
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Does ODI diagnose sciatica or disc disease?
No. It is a disability questionnaire. Diagnosis remains a clinician task.
Can I complete ODI here?
No. This landing is educational.
Is ODI the same as RMDQ?
No. They measure related concerns with different item sets and conventions.
Which ODI version should a clinic use?
Confirm the current official materials for the version you intend.