• Patricia Lipson, Aiyush Bansal, Jean-Christophe Leveque, Rakesh Kumar, Takeshi Fujii, Venu M Nemani, and Philip K Louie.
• School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
• Spine. 2024 Sep 25.

Study DesignSurvey-based, prospective study.ObjectiveIdentify age-adjusted baseline NDI values in the American population.Summary Of Background DataThe Neck Disability Index (NDI) is the most widely used tool for assessing self-rated disability in patients with neck pain. Establishing baseline NDI values can aid in understanding the clinical impact of cervical spine pathologies and treatment interventions.MethodsAn internet-based survey was distributed using the Connect (TM) platform powered by CloudResearch. Based on the latest US Census, this survey was designed to engage a demographically representative sample of the US adult population. We captured 699 individuals, aiming for 100 people per each 10-year age group between 18-89. Participants scored their disability using the NDI survey. Mean NDI scores stratified by age group and sex were calculated for each cohort.ResultsA total of 699 participants were included with 352 (50.4%) males and 347 (49.6%) females and an age distribution closely aligning with national demographics. The overall mean NDI for the combined age groups was 16.5 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 15.5-17.5. The 18-29 age group had the lowest mean NDI of 12.3 (95% CI [10.4, 14.2]). Mean NDI scores increased until the 60-69 age group with a mean of 20.1 (95% CI [17.3, 23.0]) with women having a mean NDI of 22.2 (95% CI [18.8, 25.7]) compared to men with 15.4 (95% CI [10.3, 20.4]). Mean NDI scores decreased in the 70-79 and 80-89 age groups.ConclusionThis is the first study to assess age-adjusted baseline values of NDI in the US population. Our findings demonstrate a disproportionate distribution of disability ratings across age groups. This data is important for healthcare professionals as it provides age- and sex-specific levels of disability.Level Of EvidenceLevel III.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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