The Neck Disability Index asks how neck pain affects 10 parts of daily life, from personal care and lifting to reading, driving, and sleep. Each section scores 0 to 5, and the total, from 0 to 50, measures neck-related disability: the higher, the worse. See how to score it and turn it into a percentage, what each level and each change means, and record the result with the free template. The official form comes from its source.
NDI result template
FreeNECK DISABILITY INDEX RESULT Date: [Date] Patient: [Name or ID, age] Visit: [Initial exam, re-exam, progress visit, or discharge] How completed: [Official NDI form on paper or tablet; by the patient or read to them word for word; language version] NECK PROBLEM Presenting complaint: [Neck pain, with or without arm symptoms or headaches] Onset: [Date, and how it started: gradually, an injury, a collision, or after surgery] Working diagnosis: [Mechanical neck pain, whiplash-associated disorder, cervical radiculopathy, or other] NDI TODAY Sections answered: [Number out of 10; any left blank, and why] Raw score: [Total out of 50] Percent: [Raw score doubled, or prorated for blank sections] Disability level: [None, mild, moderate, severe, or complete] Sections of note: [Sections scoring 3 or more, such as headaches, sleeping, or driving] COMPARED WITH BASELINE Baseline NDI: [Date, raw score, and percent] Scores since: [Dates and raw scores] Change: [Points down or up, and whether it passes the change your clinic counts as meaningful] FINDINGS ALONGSIDE Pain rating: [0 to 10, now and at worst] Exam: [Cervical range of motion, neurological screen of the arms, and other key findings] Barriers to recovery: [Sleep, mood, fear of movement, work demands, or none found] PLAN Treatment: [Exercise, manual therapy, education, home program, or medicine review] Referral: [To whom, why, and how soon, or none] Work and driving: [Full duties, modified duties, time off, and any limits] Next NDI: [Date or visit number] Clinician: [Name, credentials]
Use it for
The patient fills in the official form on their own, choosing the one statement in each section that fits them best at present. It takes about 5 minutes and needs no training.
Avoid: Filling it in for the patient from the history. The NDI records how the patient rates their own limits.
Each section scores 0 to 5. Add the 10 sections for a total from 0 to 50, or double it for a percentage.
Avoid: Writing “NDI 30” with no unit. Out of 50 it is severe; as a percentage it is moderate.
Ask about any blank before the patient leaves. If a section truly doesn’t apply, such as driving for someone who doesn’t drive, score from the sections answered.
Avoid: Counting a blank as 0. It lowers the score and makes the patient look better than they are.
The level gives a word for the total; the sections show where neck pain gets in the way.
Avoid: Treating the level as a diagnosis. A score of 27 says how much neck pain limits life, not why.
Score it at the first visit, at each re-exam, and at discharge, given the same way each time.
Each one follows the recording template. Use them to judge how much to write.
Outpatient physical therapy, re-exam at visit 8, 6 weeks after the evaluation
41-year-old accountant. Right-sided neck pain for 3 months, worst by late afternoon and during month-end deadlines. No injury, no arm pain or tingling. Working diagnosis: mechanical neck pain with reduced mobility and poor endurance of the deep neck muscles.
All 10 sections answered on the clinic tablet. Raw score 9 out of 50: 18%, mild. No section at 3 or more; reading is the highest at 2, as the neck aches after about half an hour at the screen.
Baseline 18 out of 50, 36%, moderate, on September 28. 13 at visit 4. Down 9 points, half the starting score: past the 7.5 points found to matter in mechanical neck pain, just short of the 10 points that rules out measurement error. With the steady fall and the exam, a real improvement.
Pain 2/10 now and 4/10 at worst, from 5 and 7 at baseline. Rotation right 70°, from 50°; left 75°. Deep neck flexor endurance 32 seconds, from 14. Neurological screen of the arms normal. Sleeping through the night again.
Visits every 2 weeks for 4 weeks, then discharge to the home program: deep neck flexor and shoulder blade strengthening, a movement break every 45 minutes, and the monitor raised to eye level. Goal: NDI 4 or less and a full workday without pain above 3/10. Next NDI at the discharge visit.
Chiropractic clinic, initial exam 12 days after a rear-end collision
55-year-old home care nurse who drives between clients. Stopped at a light and hit from behind 12 days ago; seen in the emergency department that night, no imaging needed. Neck pain and stiffness since, with daily headaches from the back of the head. Working diagnosis: whiplash-associated disorder, grade II.
All 10 sections answered on paper. Raw score 27 out of 50: 54%, severe. Sections of note: headaches 4; pain intensity, lifting, concentration, work, driving, and sleeping 3 each.
Baseline today; no earlier score. A score this high in the first weeks after whiplash goes with a slower recovery. A fall of 10 points or more at the next NDI would be a clear change.
Pain 6/10 now and 8/10 at worst. Rotation 45° each way, painful at the end of range; tender over the upper trapezius and the muscles at the base of the skull. Neurological screen of the arms normal. Since the crash, she feels foggy, is bothered by bright light, and loses her place in conversations; she isn’t sure whether her head hit the headrest. Headaches not getting worse; no vomiting, weakness, or numbness. Takes no blood thinners. Barriers: tense when driving, wakes at night replaying the crash, and avoids turning her head.
Referral to her family physician this week to assess the headaches and fogginess as a possible concussion; letter sent with today’s NDI and exam. Today: reassurance that most whiplash improves, gentle range-of-motion exercises every few hours, short daily walks, and brief soft tissue work. Work: no driving shifts until the physician review; her employer has offered office duties. Screen for posttraumatic stress at the next visit if the night-time replaying goes on. Go to the emergency department for a worsening headache, vomiting, new weakness or numbness, or confusion. Next NDI in 3 weeks.
An NDI of 18 and an NDI of 36% are the same result. A chart that switches between them makes a steady patient look twice as bad. Write “out of 50” or “%” every time.
A form with driving left blank, scored out of 50, under-counts disability. Score from the sections answered and say which one was blank.
A drop from 22 to 19 can be measurement error. Look for 10 points, or a smaller fall that matches a steady trend and a better exam.
A severe score doesn’t say why. Screen the arms neurologically, look for red flags and signs of spinal cord compression, and after a collision, ask about concussion symptoms.
Reworded versions circulate online and aren’t validated. Use the official form and its translations, so scores compare across visits and clinics.
Vero Scribe records the NDI result in your template from the visit, with the patient’s consent, or from your dictation: the raw score and percent, the sections of note, the change from baseline, and the plan. You review and edit every line, then copy it into your record. Vero works in 60+ languages.
Each of the 10 sections scores from 0, no disability, to 5, the most. Add them for a total from 0 to 50. Many clinics double it to give a percentage, so 18 out of 50 is 36%. Higher means more disability.
Out of 50, the levels are 0 to 4 no disability, 5 to 14 mild, 15 to 24 moderate, 25 to 34 severe, and 35 or more complete. As a percentage, that is 0 to 8% none, 10 to 28% mild, 30 to 48% moderate, 50 to 68% severe, and 70% or more complete. The levels describe the score; read it with the exam and the sections that score highest.
Double the total out of 50: a raw score of 27 is 54%. If a section is blank, divide the total by 5 times the number of sections answered, then multiply by 100. With nine sections answered and a total of 16, that is 16 ÷ 45 × 100 = 35.6%.
Studies differ by condition. Vernon’s 2008 review suggested 3 to 5 points out of 50 for neck pain in general; later studies found about 7.5 points in mechanical neck pain and 7 to 8.5 in cervical radiculopathy. Several studies also put the measurement error for one patient near 10 points, so a fall of 10 or more is a safe sign of real change, and smaller falls are best read with the trend.
Ten sections: pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, work, driving, sleeping, and recreation. Each has six statements, and the patient picks the one that fits best. Get the exact wording from the official form on Mapi Research Trust’s ePROVIDE site.
The NDI was built from the Oswestry, which measures disability from low back pain, and keeps its format: 10 sections, each scored 0 to 5. It swaps the back-specific sections, such as walking, sitting, and standing, for reading, headaches, concentration, work, driving, and recreation. The Oswestry is almost always reported as a percentage, while most NDI studies report out of 50.
The patient completes it, in about 5 minutes, and no training is needed to give or score it. Physical therapists, chiropractors, physicians, and spine surgeons use it most. It was developed for adults with neck pain, first after whiplash.
For students, physicians, clinical practice, and unfunded academic research, yes. Download the official form and its translations from Mapi Research Trust’s ePROVIDE site after a free sign-up. Funded research, healthcare organizations, commercial users, and software companies send a request, and fees may apply. The recording template on this page is free to copy or download.
Patient-reported measures of symptoms and function, scored as T-scores with 50 as the average: short forms, CATs, and the PROMIS-29.
Six basic self-care activities rated independent or dependent, scored 0 to 6, for function and care needs in older adults.
Eight independent living tasks, from shopping to finances, each scored 0 or 1: a total from 0, dependent, to 8, independent.
Eleven questions on arm, shoulder, and hand function over the past week, scored 0 to 100: the higher, the more disability.
Twenty everyday activities rated for difficulty: lower limb function scored 0 to 80, higher is better, and 9 points is a real change.
Where the baseline NDI goes, with the neck exam, goals, and plan of care.
History, spinal exam, outcome scores, and the treatment plan.
Scores against baseline, progress on goals, and the next phase of care.
Evaluations, daily notes, and progress reports from the session.
Vero records scores, findings, and plans in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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