Description

The Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain (ICOP) is an assessment tool designed to measure pain severity in patients with osteoarthritis, focusing on two key dimensions of pain: intermittent and constant. It was developed by Lorig, C., Chastain, R. L., and Pincus, T., and is mainly used in the clinical evaluation and management of osteoarthritis.

Analysis

The ICOP consists of two main scales:

Intermittent Pain: Measures the intensity of pain that occurs periodically or episodically.
Constant Pain: Assesses the intensity of pain that is persistent and present almost continuously.
The questions in the ICOP are designed to capture both the intensity and the impact of these types of pain on the patient’s daily life. Patients are asked to rate their pain intensity on a scale from 0 to 4 for each question.

Purpose

The objectives of the ICOP are:

Pain Assessment: To measure the severity of both intermittent and constant pain in individuals with osteoarthritis.
Understanding Impact: To evaluate the impact of pain on the patient’s daily life and functionality.
Therapeutic Guidance: To provide data that supports the development of individualized pain management and treatment strategies.

Scoring

Scoring for the ICOP involves:

Total Score: Calculated by summing the ratings from each scale’s questions. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity.
Dimensional Breakdown: Separate analysis of intermittent and constant pain scores to better understand the nature and characteristics of the patient’s pain.

Bibliography

Lorig, K. R., Chastain, R. L., & Pincus, T. (2004). The Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain (ICOAP) Scale: A New Tool for Measuring Pain in Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care & Research, 51(2), 188–198.
Kurtz, S., Ong, K., & Lau, E. (2008). The impact of osteoarthritis on quality of life. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 16(6), 629–634.
Mason, J. L., & Kivitz, A. J. (2005). Managing osteoarthritis pain: Clinical considerations. The Journal of Rheumatology, 32(10), 2022–2031.