VAS

Visual Analog ScaleClinical

A 100mm line patients mark to rate pain or symptom intensity.

The VAS is a self-report tool where a patient marks a point on a fixed-length line (typically 10cm) anchored by extremes such as 'no pain' and 'worst pain imaginable'; the distance from the origin is measured to yield a 0-100 score. It is widely used for its simplicity and sensitivity to change, though it requires intact motor and visual-spatial ability and can be harder for some older adults or those with cognitive impairment to complete reliably compared with a Numeric Rating Scale.

Appears in these appraisals
Dose-Response critically appraises the sports-medicine, rehab and performance research that matters — in plain English, every week. Subscribe free →

This guide was auto-drafted and is pending editorial review.