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Manual Muscle Testing-Using the Medical Research Council Muscle Grading Scale
Manual Muscle Testing-Using the Medical Research Council Muscle Grading Scale
| Availability |
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Manual Muscle Testing- Using the Medical Research Council Muscle Grading Scale
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| Classification |
Core: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Neuromuscular Disease (NMD)
Supplemental-Highly Recommended: Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (CMD), Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (DM), Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD)
Supplemental: Cerebral Palsy (CP), Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD/BMD), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
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| Short Description of Instrument |
Manual Muscle Testing is a widely practiced technique that is used to assess muscle strength.
Administration Time: 15–30 minutes; Administrative time is dependent on the muscle (s) selected, the age and cooperation of the participant.
The Medical Research Council Manual Muscle Testing Scale is strongly recommended for use with Manual Muscle Testing.
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| Scoring |
Most of the time patients are graded on the Modified MRC scale which is included in the form. This is an ordinal scale and many approaches have been made to convert this scale to a more continuous measure such as a 0–5 scale (e.g., 4+ = 4.33/5 or a 8-9/10). However, these are not proven continuous measures and the ordinal scale is recommended for use. |
| References |
Florence JM, Pandya S, King WM, Robison JD, Baty J, Miller JP, Schierbecker J, Signore LC. Intrarater reliability of manual muscle test (Medical Research Council scale) grades in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Phys Ther.
1992;72(2):115-122.
Great Lakes ALS Study Group. A comparison of muscle strength testing techniques in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurol. 2003;61(11):1503-1507.
Kendall. Muscles: Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th ed.
Personius KE, Pandya S, King WM, Tawil R, McDermott MP. Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy natural history study: standardization of testing procedures and reliability of measurements. The FSH DY Group. Phys Ther. 1994;74(3):253-263.
Document last updated March 2024
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