Functional Improvement Measures (FIM) for Low Back Pain

medication reduction

opiates, sedatives and/or tranquilizers at or above maximal prescribed dose

1

opiates, sedatives and/or tranquilizers at or below 50% of prescribed maximum (significant self-managed reduction)

2

routinely taking NSAID with only intermittent doses of opiate-level analgesics

3

none, or occasional NSAID use

4

walking distance

minimal function, less than 400 meters)

1

fair, 401- 800 meters

2

good, 801 to 1600 meters

3

maximal, > 1600 meters

4

sitting tolerance

minimal (15 minutes)

1

fair (30 minutes)

2

good (45 minutes)

3

maximal (60 minutes)

4

hamstring range

minimal (< 30°)

1

fair (30 – 59°)

2

good (60 –  89°)

3

maximal (>= 90°)

4

strength, sit-ups

able to do 2 sit-ups

1

able to do 5 sit-ups

2

able to do 10 sit-ups

3

able to do 20 sit-ups

4

strength, back extension

poor (chest-up less than 5 cm)

1

fair (chest-up 5 – 10 cm)

2

good (chest-up 10.1 – 15.24 cm)

3

normal (chest-up >= 15.25 cm)

4

strength, knee extension

poor (1 deep knee bend)

1

fair (4 deep knee bends)

2

good (8 deep knee bends)

3

normal (>= 15 deep knee bends)

4

flexibility, toe touch (finger tip to floor)

gap between finger tip and floor >= 30cm

1

gap between finger tip and floor 15 – 20 cm

2

gap between finger tip and floor 7.5 – 14 cm

3

finger tip to floor (0 cm gap)

4

flexibility, lateral bend (finger tips to head of fibula)

poor (gap >= 15 cm)

1

fair (gap 7.5 – 14 cm)

2

good (2.5 to 7 cm)

3

normal (0 cm gap)

4

pain behavior

severe

1

moderate

2

mild

3

negligible

4

assertiveness

low

1

sometimes assertive

2

frequently assertive

3

highly assertive

4

comprehension of model of program

poor understanding

1

fair to good understanding

2

good understanding

3

excellent understanding

4

comprehension of pain/anxiety relationship

poor understanding, no ability to apply

1

fair to good understanding, initial application attempts

2

good understanding, some application

3

excellent understanding, frequent and early applications

4