The Clinical Utility of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) in Characterizing Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders YunHee Choi • Tom G. Mayer • Mark Williams • Robert J. Gatchel Published online: 13 October 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012 Abstract Purpose The Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) was designed to help capture unique characteris- tics of chronic pain patients. The present study examined the proportion of subgroups classified by the MPI in a chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorder (CDOMD) patient cohort, and described characteristics of MPI profile groups in terms of other psychosocial vari- ables. Methods A cohort of 1,270 CDOMD patients under- going an interdisciplinary functional restoration program was studied. Before the start of the program, all patients received a standard psychosocial assessment battery. A MPI computer program scored and identified pre-defined MPI subgroups: Adaptive Coper (AC); Interpersonally Distressed (ID); and Dysfunctional (DYS). Results The distribution of MPI profiles for CDOMD patients was similar with those of highly disabled patients, with the largest proportion of patients having the DYS profile (44 %), followed by AC (33 %) and ID (23 %). The DYS profile group showed the highest level of pain severity, and psychosocial distress; the ID group had a moderate level; and the AC profile group had the lowest level. Higher rates of psychiatric disorders were also found in the DYS and ID groups. The DYS profile group was less likely to complete the treatment program. Conclusion The present study fur- ther demonstrated the clinical utility of the MPI classifi- cation in a large cohort of CDOMD patients, indicating that the MPI profiles successfully distinguish among patients who may require extra psychosocial attention to achieve successful treatment gains and program completion. Keywords Multidimensional pain inventory Á Adaptive coping Á Psychosocial assessment Á Chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorders Á Dysfunctional coping Á Interpersonal distressed Introduction Chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorders (CDOMDs) are highly prevalent and costly in industrial- ized countries. In the US alone, it is estimated that approximately $100 billion is spent annually on health care utilization and work productivity losses due to patients with back and neck work-related injuries [1]. Chronic pain is a complex phenomenon, uniquely perceived by indi- vidual patients, and is not strictly a function of physical injury. Rather, it is associated with impairment in physical and psychosocial functioning, which is influenced by socioeconomic factors, individual beliefs and perceptions [2–4]. As a result, interdisciplinary functional restoration programs have been developed to comprehensively address the physical, psychological, and social components in chronic pain populations [5–11]. In the evaluation phase of the interdisciplinary func- tional restoration program, there have been many clinical research efforts to identify those patients who are most likely to benefit from the program, as well as those who may need more focused care in certain areas [12–18]. Y. Choi Á M. Williams PRIDE Research Foundation, Dallas, TX, USA T. G. Mayer (&) Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5701 Maple Ave. #100, Dallas, TX 75235, USA e-mail: tgmayer@pridedallas.com R. J. Gatchel Department of Psychology, College of Science, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA 123 J Occup Rehabil (2013) 23:239–247 DOI 10.1007/s10926-012-9393-x