The Effectiveness of Currently Recommended Questionnaires in Identifying Scoliosis Among Chronic Back Pain Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition, significantly impacting quality of life and incurring high social costs. Although non-specific (without anatomical abnormalities) LBP accounts for nearly 80% of cases, LBP due to adult spinal deformities (ASDs), including scoliosis, remains a major concern. Several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs)—notably the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire (SRS-22), and Core Outcome Measure Instrument (COMI)—are recommended for assessment in these populations. This study aims to verify if these PROMs can effectively distinguish between adults with scoliosis-associated LBP (SLBP) and those with non-specific LBP (LBP). Methods: subjects were categorised as either having idiopathic/degenerative scoliosis (>10° Cobb angle in the coronal plane) with LBP, or non-specific LBP. Statistical comparisons applied non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon rank-sum, Mood’s median, chi-square), Spearman’s correlation, and generalised linear regression analyses. Results: Among 1092 subjects (552 SLBP; 540 LBP), median ODI scores were similar between groups, while SRS-22 scores were modestly higher in the SLBP cohort. Females consistently reported higher ODI and lower SRS-22 scores. Significant correlations arose between ODI and COMI, with moderate inverse associations with SRS-22. Regression analysis demonstrated that pathology group, gender, age, and BMI weakly predicted PROM scores. Conclusions: ODI and SRS-22 perform comparably in assessing disability in adults with LBP regardless of scoliosis, suggesting they cannot discriminate different pathologies. These findings underscore the importance of employing multiple PROMs to capture clinical dimensions.