Borg Dyspnea Scale

The Borg Dyspnea Scale asks a person to rate how hard their breathing feels right now, on a scale from 0 to 10. Zero is nothing at all; 10 is the most severe breathlessness they have ever experienced or can imagine. Written descriptors sit beside the numbers — very slight, moderate, severe, very severe — so the rating is anchored in words, not just a number picked at random.

It is used during and immediately after exertion, most often at the end of a six-minute walk test or during a rehab session. Ratings are quick enough to repeat mid-activity, so a therapist can adjust intensity in real time rather than waiting for a session to end. The same scale is often used to rate leg fatigue during the same test.

• BorgPerception Overview

Licensing Notes: The Borg scales are trademarked and licensed. Education and student licenses are issued at no fee, specifically so that correct versions are used; other uses are licensed through the company.

Learn More: Naming is genuinely confusing here. The "Borg Dyspnea Scale," the "Modified Borg Scale," the "Angina Scale," and the "Fatigue Scale" are all the same underlying instrument — the Borg CR10 Scale® — named by application. It is separate from the Borg RPE Scale®, which runs 6 to 20 and measures overall perceived exertion.