Detecting Insomnia in Patients With Low Back Pain

Conclusions

This is the first study to provide guidelines for the optimal assessment of insomnia in patients with LBP using self-reported questionnaires. The study findings showed that the Pittsburgh questionnaire and the Insomnia index are useful instruments for screening insomnia in patients with LBP. The cut-off score of > 6 for the Pittsburgh questionnaire and cut-off score of > 14 for the Insomnia index provided optimal sensitivity and specificity for the detection of insomnia. The Insomnia index is the briefer, easier to administer and to score, therefore, appears the most appropriate instrument to identify insomnia in the LBP population.