Content Validity And Test-Retest Reliability Of The Gujarati Version Of The CSI NJIRM 2016; Vol. 7(5) September-October eISSN: 0975-9840 pISSN: 2230 - 9969 18 Content Validity and Test-Retest Reliability of the Gujarati Version of the Central Sensitization Inventory Bid Dibyendunarayan D*, Soni Neela C**, Rathod Priyanshu V***, A. Thangamani Ramalingam**** *PhD Scholar, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiotherapy, RK University, Rajkot,** PhD, Professor & Guide, School of Physiotherapy, RK University, Rajkot,*** PhD, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, School of Physiotherapy, RK University, Rajkot,**** Sarvajanik College of Physiotherapy, Rampura, Surat-395003, Gujarat, INDIA Abstract: Background: Central sensitization (CS) is a state of heightened sensitivity of the central nervous system to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli. The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a sound screening tool to help clinicians to detect patients with CS. To date, no Gujarati version exists. Objectives: The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the CSI into Gujarati, and to check content validity, face validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, agreement and minimum detectable change (MDC) of CSI-G in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Methods: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original English version of the CSI-G was performed according to published guidelines. The content validity was ascertained by 23 healthcare professionals. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, agreement and MDC was determined on CLBP patients (n=31) with a time interval of 7-days. Results: The content validity and Face validity was found to be excellent. The iŶterŶal ĐoŶsisteŶĐLJ ǁas edžĐelleŶt ;CroŶďaĐhs α=Ϭ.ϵϭϰͿ and MDC was found to be 5.092 points. The test-retest reliability showed very high correlation in CLBP patients (ICC = 0.971). Conclusion: The original CSI was translated into Gujarati and did not pose any problems during data acquisition. The CSI-G seems to be reliable instruments to measure CS in Gujarati patients with CLBP. [Bid D NJIRM 2016; 7(5):18-24] Keywords: Central Sensitization Inventory- Gujarati (CSI-G), Central Sensitization, Chronic Low back Pain, Reliability, Validity Author For Correspondence: Bid Dibyendunarayan D, *Phd Scholar, Senior Lecturer, School Of Physiotherapy, RK University, Rajkot E-Mail: dnbid71@gmail.com; M: 09427139711 Introduction: Central sensitization (CS) is a state of heightened sensitivity of the central nervous system to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli. The accurate data regarding prevalence of CS in various chronic pain conditions are not known. Abnormal pain processing in the central nervous system (CNS) rather than from actual damage and/or injury to anatomic structures of body may lead to increased neuronal response and central sensitization (CS) 1-3 and this may be responsible for mechanical hyperalgesia, allodynia, and/or referred pain which are frequently seen in chronic pain syndromes (3-7) . CS is described by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) as: IŶĐreased respoŶsiǀeŶess of ŶoĐiĐeptiǀe Ŷeurons in the central nervous system to their normal or suďthreshold affereŶt iŶput (8) . The outcome of the processes involved in CS is an increased responsiveness to a variety of peripheral stimuli including mechanical pressure, chemical substances, light, sound, heat, cold, and electrical stimuli. The increased sensitivity to various stimuli results in a large decreased load tolerance of the neuromusculoskeletal system. Although the precise mechanism of CS is not fully understood; several contributing mechanisms have been put forward: It may be an altered sensory processing in the brain (9) , malfunctioning of descending anti-nociceptive mechanisms (10) , increased activity of pain facilitatory pathways, temporal summation of second pain or wind-up (9, 11) , and long-term potentiation of neuronal synapses in the anterior cingulate cortex (12) . Besides the above top-down mechanisms included in the pathophysiology of CS, it is important to understand that there are bottom-up mechanisms as well (13-16) . In clinical practice CS is often diagnosed by Quantitative sensory testing (17) . A high cost prohibits its applicability in clinical practice. As such there is no gold standard in diagnosis of CS. In clinical practice diagnosis of CS requires confirmation by some standard clinical measurements for appropriate treatment. To address this problem Mayer et al have developed CSI, an alternate method to assess the signs and symptoms of CS (18) . CSI measures the overlapping clinical features present in CS patients. It has been designed to identify the symptoms of CS and to alert clinicians about the presenting symptoms ďesides paiŶ, ǁhiĐh is ǀerLJ ofteŶ the patieŶts primary complaint. Neblett et al (19) introduced CSI normative scores in a heterogeneous group of patients with pain syndromes, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. The development of CSI has significantly improved the assessment of CS in clinical practice. This has been