Oxford Grading Strength Assessment Flashcards
What are you measuring and why?
a manual assessment of muscle strength
use to see the power or strength produced by the contraction of a muscle
used to evaluate weakness and be effective in differentiating true weakness from poor endurance.
How to know whether the measurement is normal?
compare it to the other side
What structures is it testing?
the key muscles from the upper and lower extremities
How is the procedure carried out?
consistency is critical-
changing the point of force on the patient when the force is applied can give higher or lower scores depending on lever arms.
pt tested on firm surface, stabilization applied to proximal segment using counter pressure to the resistance.
pt moves through test movement actively against gravity, note any loss of motion, trick movements or weakness and instability.
start on the non-affected side first.
if the pt cant perform muscle action against gravity then they are placed in the gravity minimised position (usually in transverse plane).
alert pt resistance will be applied and then apply in a smooth and gradual fashion
resistance applied as far distal to the axis of movement before crossing another joint. (resistance should never cross another joint unless its been assessed as normal).
test repeated 3 times and muscle strength grade determined.
What are the limitations?
poor functional relevance
it isn’t linear
the pt can alter between grades due to fatigue
low intra-rater reliability
only assesses concentric muscle contraction
work through the oxford grading muscle scale
…
Precautions and contraindications?
joint instability
severe pain
acute injury
recent injury
What structures/processes are being assessed?
muscle contraction
muscle tone
motor neuron integrity
