Responsiveness of the Myanmar versions of the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire and the Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire in individuals with subacute and chronic low back pain

Introduction The ability of an outcome measure to detect clinically meaningful changes is essential for both clinical decision-making and research. The Myanmar versions of the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (M-ODQ) and the Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (M-RMDQ) have recently been validated; however, their responsiveness has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to determine the responsiveness of the M-ODQ and the M-RMDQ in individuals with subacute and chronic nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in the Myanmar population. Methods The responsiveness of M-ODQ and M-RMDQ was assessed in 102 individuals with subacute and chronic nonspecific LBP after a 4-week intervention period. Responsiveness of both questionnaires was evaluated by determining the effect size (ES), standardised response mean (SRM), area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and correlation analysis with a 7-point global perceived effect (GPE) scale, visual analogue scale (VAS), Stark Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire, and back performance scale (BPS). Results In participants who reported improvement, the ES and SRM were 0.73 and 0.66 for M-ODQ and 0.85 and 0.78 for M-RMDQ, respectively. The AUC values of the M-ODQ and M-RMDQ were 0.724 and 0.718, indicating that the outcome measures had acceptable responsiveness to detect clinical change. Correlations of the M-ODQ and M-RMDQ with the other external responsiveness measures were fair to moderate, with the rho values ranging from –0.341 to 0.521 for all the measures. Conclusions The M-ODQ and M-RMDQ demonstrated satisfactory responsiveness, which indicated their usefulness as outcome measures to detect clinically meaningful changes in both clinical and research settings in the Myanmar population with subacute and chronic nonspecific LBP.