SF-MPQ-2: Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2

What this assessment is

The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2, or SF-MPQ-2, is a 22-item self-report measure of pain quality and intensity.

It expands the original SF-MPQ, especially its coverage of qualities often reported in neuropathic pain. It produces an overall mean and four subscale means, each from 0 to 10.

The SF-MPQ-2 does not diagnose neuropathic pain or identify the cause of pain.

This page covers the 22-item second version published in 2009. It is not the original 15-descriptor SF-MPQ.

Version always matters.

Who it was designed for

Robert Dworkin and colleagues developed the SF-MPQ-2 for adults with chronic pain. The original study included a large, varied chronic-pain sample and a separate group with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Later studies have evaluated translations and use in other pain populations. A validation study in acute low back pain found support for the four-factor structure, while also showing that performance must be checked in each setting.

The measure is completed by the person experiencing pain. It depends on language, interpretation, and the person's ability to distinguish pain qualities.

Use a validated translation and evidence that fits the population being assessed.

Language still matters.

How it is administered

The person rates the intensity of 22 pain qualities during a stated recall period.

Each rating runs from 0 to 10. The published form commonly refers to pain during the past week, but the exact version and instructions should be checked before results are compared.

The assessment usually takes several minutes.

Use all 22 items from the validated SF-MPQ-2. Do not mix descriptors from the original SF-MPQ with the newer response scale.

What it measures

The 22 ratings are grouped into four pain-quality domains:

• continuous pain
• intermittent pain
• predominantly neuropathic pain qualities
• affective, or emotionally distressing, qualities

The overall mean summarizes all 22 ratings. The four subscale means show the relative pattern.

The word neuropathic in a subscale name describes the group of qualities used in development. It is not a diagnosis. A person can endorse those qualities without having confirmed nerve damage, and some people with neuropathic pain may not show a distinctive profile.

It is a profile, not proof.

Profiles are descriptive.

How scoring works

Calculate the mean of all 22 ratings for the total score.

Calculate each subscale as the mean of the ratings assigned to that domain.

The total and all four subscales range from 0 to 10. Higher values indicate greater reported intensity across the relevant pain qualities.

Do not sum the 22 ratings and report a 0-to-220 severity category. The standard scoring method reports means so the total and subscales stay on the original 0-to-10 response scale.

The development paper does not provide one general rule for estimating missing responses. Follow the scoring protocol for the exact form and setting.

How to interpret an SF-MPQ-2 score

Interpret the overall mean as a summary of reported pain quality intensity.

Then examine the four subscale means. A higher intermittent score than continuous score, for example, describes a different pain pattern. It does not prove a different medical cause.

Domains can diverge.

The SF-MPQ-2 does not establish universal mild, moderate, or severe bands. Results should be compared with evidence from a similar population and the same language version.

There is no universal category.

Pain can change.

For repeated assessment, keep the recall period, administration, language, and scoring method constant. A change in one domain may be meaningful even if the total changes little.

Context can shift.

What the score cannot tell you

The SF-MPQ-2 cannot diagnose neuropathic pain, inflammation, injury, or a specific disease.

Do not infer cause.

It cannot show the amount of physical damage or determine whether a pain report is valid. A pain-quality profile is descriptive, not a credibility test.

The score cannot select a treatment on its own. Examination, history, function, medication effects, and other clinical findings remain necessary.

A low total does not rule out serious pain. A high affective score does not diagnose depression or anxiety.

Evidence and limitations

The development study supported four related pain-quality domains and found expected relationships with other pain measures. Independent studies have often reproduced the broad structure.

Results are not identical in every language or condition. Some descriptors may be uncommon in one population, and factor structures can shift when samples are small or clinically narrow.

The expansion improves coverage of neuropathic qualities but adds time compared with a single intensity rating. It still relies on self-report and does not replace a neurological or medical assessment.

Use the SF-MPQ-2 as a structured description of pain. Interpret the profile with the person's history, function, examination, and goals.