The Observable Movement Quality scale for patients with low back pain (OMQ-LBP) is a newly developed measurement instrument for use in primary care settings of physical and exercise therapists to assess movement quality (MQ) of patients with low back pain (LBP). This study aims to determine validity, reliability and feasibility of the OMQ-LBP. The OMQ-LBP consists of a standardized movement circuit (performed twice) consisting of five daily activities problematic for LBP patients, which are scored with an 11-item observation list. Construct validity was determined by testing seven hypotheses on associations between constructs (n=85 patients with LBP) and four hypotheses on known group differences (n=85 patients with LBP and n=63 healthy controls; n=35 matched participant-patients having VAS-pain≥20 mm during and/or after both circuits and healthy controls). Internal consistency was analyzed with Cronbach’s alpha (n=85 patients with LBP). For inter- and intra-rater reliability Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) values were examined (n=14 therapists: seven primary care physical therapists and seven exercise therapists). Additionally, content validity and feasibility were determined using thematic analysis of a brief interview with participants, patients (n=38) and therapists (n=14).
