Roller massage: Is the numeric pain rating scale a reliable measurement and can it direct individuals with no experience to a specific roller density?

This investigation measured the reliability of the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) for roller massage (RM) over two sessions and compared it to pressure pain threshold (PPT) during a third session. Twenty-five subjects participated. Session one, subjects rolled on 3 different rollers and filled out the NPRS for each roller then chose their preferred roller. Session two, subjects repeated the testing blind-folded to eliminate visual biases. Session three, subjects repeated testing but were measured with PPT. For the NPRS, there was poor to moderate reliability for the soft roller (ICC=0.60) and good reliability for the moderate (ICC=0.82) and hard density (ICC= 0.90) rollers. For preferred roller, there was no significant difference between sessions (t (24) =.00, p=1.00). For NPRS and PPT, there was a fair relationship for all rollers (Rho=0.34-0.49, p = 0.11- 0.28). The NPRS appears to be a reliable measure and may help direct individuals to a specific roller. The NPRS and PPT should be used independently.