General Outcome Measurements: Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK)

The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) is a self-report questionnaire that is used to assess an individual's fear of movement or re-injury. The TSK consists of 17 items that ask respondents to rate their level of agreement with statements related to the fear of movement or re-injury.

The TSK is typically used with individuals who have musculoskeletal pain conditions, such as low back pain, neck pain, or shoulder pain. It can be used by healthcare professionals to assess an individual's level of kinesiophobia and to monitor changes in kinesiophobia over time.

The TSK can also be used to identify individuals who may benefit from interventions to reduce their fear of movement or re-injury. For example, graded exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy have been shown to be effective in reducing kinesiophobia in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. Overall, the TSK is a useful tool for assessing an individual's level of kinesiophobia related to movement and re-injury and for identifying individuals who may benefit from interventions to reduce their fear and improve their functional abilities.

The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) total score is typically used to interpret the results. The total score ranges from 17 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater levels of kinesiophobia. The TSK is a self-report questionnaire, and individuals are asked to rate their level of agreement with each statement on a 4-point scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

The interpretation of the TSK score should be done in the context of the individual's pain condition and treatment goals. In general, scores above 37 suggest the presence of clinically significant kinesiophobia, while scores below 37 are considered to be within the normal range.

References:

1. Kori, S. H., Miller, R. P., & Todd, D. D. (1990). Kinesiophobia: A new view of chronic pain behavior. Pain management, 3(1), 35-43.
2. Lundberg, M., Grimby-Ekman, A., Verbunt, J., & Simmonds, M. J. (2011). Pain-related fear: a critical review of the related measures. Pain research and treatment, 2011.
3. Roelofs, J., Goubert, L., Peters, M. L., Vlaeyen, J. W., Crombez, G., & van Breukelen, G. (2004). The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia: further examination of psychometric properties in patients with chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia. European journal of pain, 8(5), 495-502.
4. Vlaeyen, J. W., Kole-Snijders, A. M., Boeren, R. G., & van Eek, H. (1995). Fear of movement/(re) injury in chronic low back pain and its relation to behavioral performance. Pain, 62(3), 363-372.
5. Woby, S. R., Roach, N. K., Urmston, M., & Watson, P. J. (2005). Psychometric properties of the TSK-11: a shortened version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Pain, 117(1-2), 137-144.