McGill Pain Questionnaire
The McGill Pain Questionnaire captures pain quality with descriptor sets rather than a single intensity number. This page is for clinics. It is not a diagnosis and not a public test.
Overview
What is the MPQ?
The MPQ asks people to choose sensory, affective, and other descriptors of pain. It is not the same as VAS, NRS, or BPI. A descriptor pattern is not a diagnosis of a pain mechanism.
Development and clinical use
Melzack published the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire in 1987: 15 descriptors scored None to Severe, a present-pain intensity rating from 0 to 5, and a visual analogue line. The sensory sum, affective sum and total PRI are separate from present pain intensity and from the line, which is not added to the PRI.
- Catalogue status
- Educational entry
- Production scoring
- Not independently verified
- Mode
- self-report
- Typical use
- Clinician-reviewed intake
- Clinical role
- Pain-quality description support
Administration
A focused client experience
MPQ is completed as a focused self-report and stored for clinician review. This public page does not collect answers or return a score.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that results go to the clinic
The illustration shows layout only. It does not reproduce MPQ item wording.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Published scoring conventions may exist in official materials. This public page does not independently verify scoring, cutoffs, or a production scoring rule. Use the official form and scoring instructions for the version you intend to use.
References
- Short-form MPQ paperMelzack R. The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Pain. 1987;30:191-197.
- Long-form MPQ paperMelzack R. The McGill Pain Questionnaire: major properties and scoring methods. Pain. 1975;1(3):277-299.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the MPQ
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Is MPQ the same as a numeric pain rating?
No. MPQ uses descriptor sets. Intensity scales such as NRS and VAS are different tools.
Does MPQ diagnose neuropathic pain?
No. Descriptor patterns still need clinician interpretation and, where relevant, examination.
Can I complete MPQ here?
No. This page does not collect answers.
Which McGill form is this?
The 15-descriptor short form, not the 1975 long form. This page does not collect answers.