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J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj 2009; 04(01): e1-e2
DOI: 10.1186/1749-7221-4-3
Letter to the Editor
Bhardwaj and Bhardwaj; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Motor grading of elbow flexion – is Medical Research Council grading good enough?[*]

Praveen Bhardwaj
1   Hand & Microsurgery, Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India
,
Navin Bhardwaj
2   Consultant Physiotherapist, Badli, New Delhi- 110042, India
› Author Affiliations
Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

01 November 2008

13 May 2009

Publication Date:
18 September 2014 (online)

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Abstract

Restoration of elbow flexion is top priority in reconstruction following brachial plexus injury. Medical Research Council (MRC) Grading is the most commonly used scale to grade muscle power. Though simple to use, it has several limitations. Each grade represents a very wide range and hence precludes accurate assessment of function and outcome following a given procedure. Wide range of Grade 4 is most worrisome. Definitely all grade 4 labeled can not equate to good functional results. With most of the nerve transfer procedures described now claiming grade 4 recoveries in more than 80% of the reported cases a need for more detailed and accurate assessment of this grade is greatly felt. A modified MRC grading system is described which is comprehensive and easy to use.

*This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


 

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