Borg RPE scale
Borg built the 6–20 scale so that the number, multiplied by ten, would land near the heart rate of a healthy adult at that effort. It is the cheapest intensity measure in rehab and the only one that keeps working on a beta blocker.
Borg’s original 6–20 scale. The numbers are not arbitrary: multiplied by ten they approximate the heart rate of a healthy adult at that effort.
Somewhat hard
- Borg 6–20
- 13
- Category-ratio 0–10
- 4
- ≈ heart rate
- 130
That effort sits in the moderate band.
- 6No exertion at all
- 7Extremely light
- 9Very light
- 11Light
- 13Somewhat hard
- 15Hard (heavy)
- 17Very hard
- 19Extremely hard
- 20Maximal exertion
Two scales, one idea
| Borg 6–20 | Category-ratio 0–10 | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | Walking at your own pace, easy |
| 11 | 2 | Light — you could keep it up for an hour |
| 13 | 4 | Somewhat hard; talking in full sentences is possible |
| 15 | 6 | Hard; short sentences only |
| 17 | 8 | Very hard; a few words at a time |
| 19 | 10 | Extremely hard; you cannot hold it |
The talk test agrees with it
Moderate effort is where you can talk but not sing. Vigorous is where you cannot say more than a few words without a breath. If a patient’s RPE and their talk test disagree, trust the talk test and re-teach the scale.
Where RPE beats heart rate
Beta blockers flatten heart rate. So do rate-controlling drugs, pacemakers, deconditioning and anxiety. RPE keeps working through all of them because it measures the person rather than the pump. It also survives a patient forgetting their watch, which the pulse method does not.
Prescribing with it
Write the target into the home programme as a number, not an adjective: “walk 20 minutes at RPE 12–13” is followable, “walk briskly” is not. The home programme builder has a field for it beside the sets and reps.
Red flag — refer out
Chest pain, disproportionate breathlessness, dizziness or a resting heart rate that will not settle end the session. RPE is for grading effort, not for pushing through symptoms.
Sources
Keep reading
DASH score calculator
Score the 30-item DASH disability questionnaire and read the result.
QuickDASH score calculator
Score the 11-item QuickDASH, its work and sport modules, and the change since baseline.
Oswestry Disability Index calculator
Score the 10-section ODI, handle blank sections and check a change against the MCID.
Physical therapist assistant salary
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