Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia

What it measures

Measures fear of movement and re-injury — the belief that movement or physical activity will cause pain or re-injury. Kinesiophobia (fear of movement) is one of the strongest psychological predictors of chronic pain disability, work absenteeism, and failure to return to normal activities following musculoskeletal injury. Patients high in kinesiophobia avoid beneficial physical activity based on catastrophic misinterpretation of pain signals, creating a vicious cycle of deconditioning and heightened pain sensitivity. The TSK is used as a primary screen and outcome variable in pain rehabilitation, physiotherapy, occupational health, and chronic pain intervention research. The two-factor structure distinguishes fear-driven activity avoidance from beliefs about bodily harm and fragility.

Response format

Likert (1–4, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Representative items

• I'm afraid that I might injure myself if I exercise. (Harm)
• If I were to try to overcome my pain, the pain would increase. (Activity Avoidance)
• My body is telling me I have something dangerously wrong. (Harm)
• People aren't taking my medical condition seriously enough. (Activity Avoidance)
• My accident has put my body at risk for the rest of my life. (Harm)

Usage notes & scoring

(Four items are reverse-scored.) Total score range 17–68; higher = greater kinesiophobia. Clinical cut-offs: >=37 high kinesiophobia in chronic low back pain populations. Two-factor scoring (Activity Avoidance and Harm subscales) recommended. Freely reproduced in pain research. Widely used in chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and post-surgical rehabilitation research. TSK-11 and TSK-13 short forms available.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Miller, R.P., Kori, S.H., & Todd, D.D. (1991). The Tampa Scale. Unpublished report, Tampa, FL.

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