rating of perceived exertion

{{Short description|Scale of perceived exhaustion}}

In sports, health, and exercise testing, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), as measured by the Borg rating of perceived exertion scale,{{cite journal | vauthors = Borg GA | title = Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion | journal = Med Sci Sports Exerc | volume = 14 | issue = 5 | pages = 377–81 | year = 1982 | pmid = 7154893 | doi = 10.1249/00005768-198205000-00012| doi-access = free }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Borg G | title = Perceived exertion as an indicator of somatic stress | journal = Scand J Rehabil Med | volume = 2 | issue = 2 | pages = 92–8 | year = 1970 | doi = 10.2340/1650197719702239298 | pmid = 5523831 | doi-access = free }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Dawes HN, Barker KL, Cockburn J, Roach N, Scott O, Wade D | title = Borg's rating of perceived exertion scales: do the verbal anchors mean the same for different clinical groups? | journal = Arch Phys Med Rehabil | volume = 86 | issue = 5 | pages = 912–6 | year = 2005 | pmid = 15895336 | doi = 10.1016/j.apmr.2004.10.043 }} is a quantitative measure of perceived exertion during physical activity.{{cite journal |vauthors=Roelands B, de Koning J, Foster C, Hettinga F, Meeusen R | title = Neurophysiological determinants of theoretical concepts and mechanisms involved in pacing | journal = Sports Med. | volume = 43 | issue = 5 | pages = 301–311 |date=May 2013 | pmid = 23456493 | doi = 10.1007/s40279-013-0030-4 | s2cid = 30392999 | quote = A component that appears to integrate many variables during whole-body exercise is the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) [15]. ...
15. {{cite journal |last1=Borg |first1=Gunnar |title=Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. |journal=Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise |date=1982 |volume=14 |issue=5 |pages=377–81 |doi=10.1249/00005768-198205000-00012 |pmid=7154893 |doi-access=free }} }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Rattray B, Argus C, Martin K, Northey J, Driller M | title = Is it time to turn our attention toward central mechanisms for post-exertional recovery strategies and performance? | journal = Front. Physiol. | volume = 6 | pages = 79 | date = March 2015 | pmid = 25852568 | pmc = 4362407 | doi = 10.3389/fphys.2015.00079 | quote = Aside from accounting for the reduced performance of mentally fatigued participants, this model rationalizes the reduced RPE and hence improved cycling time trial performance of athletes using a glucose mouthwash and the greater power output during a RPE matched cycling time trial following amphetamine ingestion| doi-access = free }}{{cite journal |last1=Chambers |first1=E. S. |last2=Bridge |first2=M. W. |last3=Jones |first3=D. A. |title=Carbohydrate sensing in the human mouth: effects on exercise performance and brain activity |journal=The Journal of Physiology |date=15 April 2009 |volume=587 |issue=8 |pages=1779–1794 |doi=10.1113/jphysiol.2008.164285 |pmid=19237430 |pmc=2683964 }}

In medicine, this is used to document the patient's exertion during a test for the severity of diseases. Sports coaches use the scale to assess the intensity of training and competition as well as endurance. The original scale introduced by Gunnar Borg rated exertion on a scale of 6-20. Borg then constructed a newer category-ratio scale, the Borg CR-10 scale, rated on a scale from 1-10. This is especially used in clinical diagnosis and severity assessment of breathlessness and dyspnea, chest pain, angina and musculo-skeletal pain. The CR-10 scale is best suited when there is an overriding sensation arising either from a specific area of the body rather than overall exertion, for example, muscle pain, ache or fatigue in the quadriceps or from pulmonary responses during exertion.

The Borg scale can be compared to other linear scales such as the Likert scale or a visual analogue scale. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the results are broadly very similar, although the Borg scale may outperform the Likert scale in some cases.{{Cite journal | last1 = Grant | first1 = S. | last2 = Aitchison | first2 = T. | last3 = Henderson | first3 = E. | last4 = Christie | first4 = J. | last5 = Zare | first5 = S. | last6 = McMurray | first6 = J. | last7 = Dargie | first7 = H. | title = A Comparison of the Reproducibility and the Sensitivity to Change of Visual Analogue Scales, Borg Scales, and Likert Scales in Normal Subjects During Submaximal Exercise | doi = 10.1378/chest.116.5.1208 | journal = Chest | volume = 116 | issue = 5 | pages = 1208–1217 | year = 1999 | pmid = 10559077}}