Abstract
The MRC [Medical Research Council] scale for grading muscle power in stages from 0 to 5 has been compared with an analog scale in which power is expressed as a percentage of the maximum expected for that muscle. Twenty therapists examined many patients in a series of comparative tests. The MRC grade is more reliable and accurate for this type of clinical assessment in weak muscles, that is grades 0-3 on the MRC scale or 0-62% on the analog scale. The analog scale is more reliable an accurate for the assessment of stronger muscles, that is grades 4 and 5 of the MRC scale or 62-100% on the analog scale. Analog scales could be usefully adopted when testing bulky muscles operating at 50% or more of their normal power.

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