Muscle Strength Grading

Muscle Strength Grading is used to measure the force one can apply while pushing or pulling. It's helpful for diagnosing health conditions, determining risk of falls and fractures, predicting mortality rates in older adults, and identifying muscle weakness in neuropathies. Muscle strength grading systems are different depending on who you talk to but it all comes down to how much weight you can push or pull against gravity. The lower your score the weaker your muscles are. 

Muscle Strength Grading has many benefits that make it an important part of any medical professional’s job description; these include: assessing risks of falls and fractures, predicting mortality rates among older adults, and identifying muscle weakness in neuropathies (ex., Parkinson’s disease). I have posted the grading scores and their description for your guide. 

Score    Description
0           No contraction
1           Flicker or trace of contraction
2           Active movement, with gravity eliminated
3           Active movement against gravity
4           Active movement against gravity and resistance
5           Normal power