Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, Neag School of
Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Richard W. Bohannon, Department of
Physical Therapy, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs,
CT 06269-2101, USA. Tel.: +1 860 486 0048; Fax: +1 860 486 1588; E-mail:
richard.bohannon@uconn.edu
Abstract: This retrospective study examined the initial therapy notes of
home-care patients to determine the ability of manual muscle testing (MMT) to
identify muscle weakness and explain functional independence. Manual muscle
test scores for trunk flexion and 3 lower limb muscle actions (hip flexion,
knee extension, and ankle dorsiflexion) were obtained bilaterally as was
independence in sit-to-stand and walking 50 feet. All 31 patients (mean age
72.8) demonstrated muscle weakness in some tested muscle group. Less than
maximum MMT scores were most common for hip flexion (100%) and least common
for knee extension (51.6%). All but 2 individual and combined strength
measures correlated significantly with both sit-to-stand and walking
independence. The correlations ranged from 0.308 to 0.748. Based on its ability
to identify weakness and explain functional independence, MMT appears to be an
appropriate measure for use with patients seen in a home-care setting.
Keywords: Muscle strength, measurement, physical therapy, activities of daily living
