Conclusion: The majority of the studies showed that visual analogue scale is a valid and reliable scale. Also, it is an interval scale. So, in clinical practice we can use this scale in case of pain measurement as an outcome measure tool.

Is VAS a validated tool?

Background: The visual analog scale (VAS) is a validated, subjective measure for acute and chronic pain. Scores are recorded by making a handwritten mark on a 10-cm line that represents a continuum between “no pain” and “worst pain.”

Is visual analog scale continuous?

This continuous (or “analogue”) aspect of the scale differentiates it from discrete scales such as the Likert scale. There is evidence showing that visual analogue scales have superior metrical characteristics than discrete scales, thus a wider range of statistical methods can be applied to the measurements.