[Assessment of musculoskeletal pain]

Persons suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and applying for disability claims, should be assessed according to the biopsychosocial disease model. Interdisciplinary guidelines give advice on how to proceed. The claims assessor representing somatic disciplines has to recognize those subjects whose pain is not sufficiently explainable by the extent of physical damage but show typical signs of chronification (generalization of the pain extent, further body complaints, symptoms of depression), to recommend further assessment by a psychiatric or psychosomatic specialist. Technical findings must not be overestimated or the pain complaints of the subjects rejected as deliberate feigning. The extent of the pain and the underlying (physical and psychosocial) disorders have to be assessed by a consistent description of the implications for all areas of life.