Scarborough Chiro Clinic

Pain risk assessment

Answer honestly — there are no right or wrong answers. This tool adapts to your situation and gives you a personalised picture of your pain risk.

Step 1
First, tell us where you're at
Your assessment adapts based on your current situation
😵
I have pain or discomfort
Currently experiencing pain, soreness, or recurring symptoms
Chronic pain assessment
💪
I'm currently pain-free
No current pain, but want to understand my risk of developing it
Pain prevention assessment
About you
Age and general health are baseline risk modifiers
What is your age group?
Under 30
30–44
45–59
60+
How would you describe your general health?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Chronic pain assessment
Your pain history
Prior episodes are the strongest predictor of chronic pain (Croft et al., 1997)
How long have you been experiencing your current pain or discomfort?
Less than 4 weeks
4–12 weeks
3–6 months
More than 6 months
Have you experienced persistent or recurring pain before?
No — this is new
Yes, one previous episode
Yes, several episodes
Pain has been ongoing for years
How much does your pain interfere with your daily life?
Not at all
A little — manageable
Quite a bit
Severely — affects most things
Chronic pain assessment
Pain beliefs & catastrophising
Pain catastrophising is one of the strongest predictors of chronic pain (Sullivan et al., 2001)
When you are in pain, how often do you think it will never get better?
Rarely or never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
Do you believe that movement or activity makes your pain worse or causes damage?
Fear of movement significantly prolongs pain (Vlaeyen & Linton, 2000)
No — movement is fine
A little cautious
Yes — I avoid a lot of movement
Strongly — movement feels dangerous
How confident are you that your pain will improve with the right help?
Very confident
Fairly confident
Not very confident
I don't think it will improve
Chronic pain assessment
Mood & anxiety
Depression and anxiety are independent risk factors for chronic pain (Linton, 2000)
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?
Not at all
Several days
More than half the days
Nearly every day
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you felt anxious or on edge?
Not at all
Several days
More than half the days
Nearly every day
Pain prevention assessment
Your pain background
Past pain episodes predict future risk even during pain-free periods (Croft et al., 1997)
Have you experienced significant pain or injury in the past?
No — I've never had significant pain
Yes, one episode — fully resolved
Yes, several episodes in the past
Yes — recurring issues over many years
Do you have any concerns that pain could develop in the future based on how you currently live or work?
Not at all concerned
Mildly concerned
Moderately concerned
Very concerned
Pain prevention assessment
Physical activity & load
Sedentary behaviour and sudden load spikes are primary drivers of musculoskeletal pain onset (Gabbett, 2016)
How physically active are you on a typical week?
Mostly sedentary — little planned exercise
Moderately active — 2 to 4 days per week
Active most days
Very high training load — daily or multiple sessions
Does your job involve prolonged sitting, repetitive tasks, heavy lifting, or awkward postures?
No — varied and comfortable
Some physical demands
Yes — moderate daily demands
Yes — heavy or highly repetitive work
Have you recently made a significant jump in your physical activity or training?
No — load has been consistent
Slight increase
Moderate increase (10–30%)
Large jump recently
Pain prevention assessment
Mood & stress
Psychological stress sensitises the nervous system and lowers the pain threshold (Linton, 2000)
How stressed have you felt over the last month?
Minimal — feeling in control
Mild — manageable
Moderate — noticeable
High — feeling overwhelmed
How has your mood been overall in the last 2 weeks?
Good — generally positive
Okay — some ups and downs
Low — feeling flat or irritable
Poor — struggling emotionally
Sleep & fatigue
Sleep & fatigue
Poor sleep amplifies pain sensitivity and is a primary driver of central sensitisation (Finan et al., 2013)
How many hours of sleep do you typically get per night?
Less than 6 hours
6–7 hours
7–8 hours
8+ hours
How would you rate your sleep quality?
Good — restful and refreshing
Okay — mostly fine
Poor — often broken or restless
Very poor — rarely feel rested
How would you rate your fatigue on a typical day?
Good energy levels
Some tiredness — manageable
Often fatigued
Exhausted most of the time
Work & life stress
Work & life stress
Psychosocial work factors strongly predict musculoskeletal pain onset (Hoogendoorn et al., 2000)
How stressed have you felt in the last month overall?
Minimal — feeling in control
Mild — manageable
Moderate — noticeable
High — feeling overwhelmed
Does your work involve high demands, low control, or poor support?
No — work is manageable and supportive
Some pressure but generally okay
Yes — demanding or unsupported
Yes — highly stressful or unsatisfying
Have you experienced significant life events recently? (bereavement, relationship breakdown, financial stress, trauma)
No major events
One stressful event
Several stressful events
Significant ongoing adversity
Social support
Social support
Social connection is a protective factor against pain onset and persistence (Turk & Okifuji, 2002)
How supported do you feel by the people around you?
Very supported
Reasonably supported
Limited support
Feeling quite isolated
Nutrition & lifestyle
Nutrition & lifestyle
Diet, smoking and alcohol influence systemic inflammation and pain sensitivity (Tick, 2015)
How would you describe your diet and eating habits?
Balanced and consistent
Fairly good — occasional gaps
Irregular or poor quality
Very poor — highly processed or restrictive
Do you smoke or use nicotine products?
No
Occasionally
Yes, regularly
How much alcohol do you typically drink per week?
None
1–7 standard drinks
8–14 standard drinks
15+ standard drinks

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Risk score & tier Domain breakdown Personalised insights
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Pain risk score
Risk by domain

What this means for you

This assessment is a screening tool only and does not constitute a diagnosis. Please discuss your results with your clinician.
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Clinical summary

Track
Overall score
Risk tier
Domain breakdown
DomainScoreWeightStatus

Priority flags for this consultation

Raw responses

Evidence base: Croft et al. (1997) · Sullivan et al. (2001) · Vlaeyen & Linton (2000) · Linton (2000) · Finan et al. (2013) · Hoogendoorn et al. (2000) · Gabbett (2016) · Turk & Okifuji (2002) · Tick (2015)
This tool is a screening aid only and does not replace clinical assessment. © Scarborough Chiro Clinic