Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
The Visual Analogue Scale is one of the most widely used tools for measuring PAP, including both PLP and RLP. Patients mark a point along a straight line, usually 10 cm long, where one end represents "no pain" and the other represents "worst possible pain." The distance from the start of the line to the mark gives the pain score. It is filled in by the patient and usually reflects how much PAP they feel at that exact moment, though it can also be used to ask about PAP over the past day, week, or month. The VAS is free to use, with no permission required.
Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)
The Numerical Rating Scale measures PAP by asking patients to pick a whole number between 0 and 10 that best represents their pain, where 0 means "no pain" and 10 means "worst possible pain." It is filled in by the patient and is usually used to rate PAP at the moment of assessment, though some versions ask about PAP over the past day, week, or month. The NRS is free to use, with no permission required.
Verbal Rating Scale (VRS)
The Verbal Rating Scale measures PAP by asking patients to choose a word or phrase that best describes their pain, such as "no pain," "mild pain," "moderate pain," or "severe pain." It is usually used to rate PAP at the moment of assessment, though it can also be used to ask about PAP over the past day. The VRS is free to use, with no permission required.
Revised Iowa Pain Thermometer (RIPT)
The Revised Iowa Pain Thermometer measures PAP using a vertical, thermometer-like image. Patients rate their pain along a scale that runs from "no pain" at the bottom up through "mild pain," "moderate pain," and "severe pain," to "the most intense pain imaginable" at the top. The visual format is intended to make the rating easier to understand than numbers alone. Using the RIPT requires permission from the University of Iowa, which is generally granted free of charge for research and clinical use.
PROMIS Pain Intensity SF-3a
The PROMIS Pain Intensity Short Form-3a measures PAP through three questions: the worst pain and the average pain over the past week, and pain at the present moment. Each is rated on a five-point scale ranging from "no pain" to "very severe." It is filled in by the patient. The paper version is free to use without permission, while using it electronically requires authorization through HealthMeasures.
Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS)
The Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs is designed to identify whether pain is neuropathic, meaning caused by damage to the nervous system. It combines five questions about the qualities of the pain, answered by the patient, with two brief physical checks carried out by a clinician to test for altered sensation and pain triggered by light touch. The answers are scored and added up to a total out of 24, with 12 or more suggesting neuropathic pain. The LANSS can be used freely for academic and clinical purposes, while commercial use requires permission from the publisher.
McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)
The McGill Pain Questionnaire measures the qualities of pain rather than just how strong it is. Patients are given a long list of descriptive words grouped into categories and select the ones that best match their experience, covering the physical sensations of the pain as well as how unpleasant and distressing it feels. The selected words are scored to produce an overall index, alongside separate ratings of current pain intensity. It also captures how the pain behaves over time and what makes it better or worse. There are two shorter versions of the same questionnaire available (SF-MPQ and SF-MPQ2). The MPQ is copyrighted, so permission from the copyright holder or an authorized distributor should be obtained before use, particularly for translations or commercial purposes.
Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI)
The Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory measures the different qualities of neuropathic pain, meaning pain caused by damage to the nervous system. Patients rate ten descriptions of distinct pain sensations, each on a scale from 0 ("no pain") to 10 ("worst imaginable pain"). It also includes two questions about timing: how long ongoing spontaneous pain lasts, and how many sudden pain attacks occurred over the past day. It is filled in by the patient. The NPSI is distributed under licence through the Mapi Research Trust, with fees applying to funded and commercial users.
West Haven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI)
The West Haven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory looks at chronic pain across several areas of life, including behaviour, emotions, and daily functioning. The first part of the questionnaire covers how severe the pain is, how much it interferes with everyday activities, and the emotional distress it causes, each rated on a seven-point scale where higher scores indicate greater intensity. It is filled in by the patient. The WHYMPI does not have a widely advertised licensing programme, so users should confirm copyright and permission requirements with the copyright holders, particularly for commercial use.
Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS)
The Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale builds on a simple 0 to 10 pain rating by adding visual cues and word descriptions aimed to make the ratings easier to understand and more consistent between patients. Alongside pain intensity, it asks how much the pain interferes with activity, sleep, mood, and stress, each rated from 0 to 10, where higher scores indicate more pain or greater interference. It is filled in by the patient. The DVPRS may be used freely without permission, provided it is not altered, and the original name is kept only for the unaltered version.
Weighted Pain Distribution (WPD)
The Weighted Pain Distribution captures how pain intensity rises and falls over the course of a typical day. Rather than giving a single rating, patients report what proportion of the day they spend at each of six predefined pain levels. These proportions are then combined into an overall score that reflects both how intense the pain is and how long it lasts. It is filled in by the patient. The WPD is released for free use under a Creative Commons Attribution license, requiring only that it be credited.
Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
The Brief Pain Inventory measures both how strong pain is and how much it disrupts daily life. Patients indicate where their pain is located and rate its intensity on a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 means "no pain" and 10 means "pain as bad as you can imagine," answering separately for their worst, least, average, and current pain. A further seven questions ask how much the pain interferes with general activity, mood, walking, work, relationships with others, sleep, and enjoyment of life. It is filled in by the patient. The BPI requires permission from the copyright holder for all use. It is free for non-funded academic and clinical use, but fees apply to funded or commercial research.
PROMIS Pain Items
The PROMIS Pain Items are a set of individual questions covering pain location, intensity, quality, and interference with daily life. They can be used on their own or combined to build a questionnaire covering several aspects of pain at once. Patients respond to each question on a five-point scale, for example from "no pain" to "very severe pain," reflecting how intense the pain is or how much it affects them over a given period. The paper version is free to use without permission, while using it electronically requires authorization through HealthMeasures.
Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire – Group 2 (PEQ-G2)
The Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire – Group 2 is a section of a larger questionnaire, designed specifically to assess pain in people with lower-limb amputation. It asks about the intensity, frequency, and duration of both RLP and PLP, and how much each interferes with daily activities. Each question is answered by marking a point along a 10 cm line running from "no pain" to "worst imaginable pain," and the distance to the mark gives the score. It is filled in by the patient. The PEQ-G2 may be used free of charge without permission, provided that Prosthetics Research Study is acknowledged.
Questionnaire for Postamputation Pain (Q-PAP)
The Questionnaire for Postamputation Pain, previously known as the Questionnaire for Phantom Limb Pain (Q-PLP), was designed specifically to assess both RLP and PLP. It measures pain intensity on a 0 to 10 scale, along with verbal descriptions of the pain, how often pain episodes occur, and how much the pain interferes with daily activities and sleep. For PLP, it additionally records where the pain is felt using a body map, together with the perceived position and movement of the phantom limb and any non-painful phantom sensations. It is filled in by the patient. The Q-PAP is released for free use under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, requiring only that it be credited.