Musculoskeletal
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Pain Calculator
The Visual Analogue Scale is the most commonly used pain measurement tool in physiotherapy. Simple, reliable, and validated for monitoring treatment outcomes.
Formula
Patient rates pain 0-10
Normal Range
0: No pain | 1-3: Mild | 4-6: Moderate | 7-10: Severe
Clinical Use
All physiotherapy specialties for pain monitoring and treatment outcome measurement.
Use the Calculator
Enter patient values and get instant AI-powered clinical interpretation.
Related Calculators
About VAS Pain Scale Calculator
The Visual Analogue Scale is the most commonly used pain measurement tool in physiotherapy. Simple, reliable, and validated for monitoring treatment outcomes.
Clinical Applications
- Rapid pain screening at the start of each physiotherapy session to guide intensity of treatment
- Monitoring treatment response across a rehabilitation course — serial VAS scores provide objective outcome data
- Assessing pain behaviour and its relationship to functional impairment across all physiotherapy specialties
- Research and audit: VAS is the most widely used pain scale in physiotherapy clinical trials
How to Interpret Results
- A change of 1.5–2.0 cm (15–20 mm on a 100 mm scale) is generally considered the MCID for pain reduction
- VAS scores should always be contextualised with functional limitation — a VAS of 8 with full activity is clinically very different from a VAS of 8 with complete rest
- Numerical Rating Scale (NRS 0–10) and VAS are interchangeable in most clinical settings and correlate strongly (r > 0.9)
References
- 1.Huskisson EC (1974). Measurement of pain. Lancet, 2(7889), 1127–1131.
- 2.Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M (2011). Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain. Arthritis Care & Research, 63(Suppl 11), S240–252.
- 3.Bijur PE, Silver W, Gallagher EJ (2001). Reliability of the visual analog scale for measurement of acute pain. Academic Emergency Medicine, 8(12), 1153–1157.