Manual Muscle Testing of the Scapula and the Upper Limb through Bedside Examination
Authors:   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Vijian Kugan ,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Umum Sarawak, Sarawak, Malaysia, Cheng Yap Teck ,   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Sabah, Malaysia, Idris Zamzuri ,   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Izaini Ghani Abdul Rahman ,   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Abdul Halim Sanihah ,   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, Abdullah Jafri Malin ,   Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia,   Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
Published: March 2023

Neurological examination is an important tool in diagnosing patients with neurological and neurosurgical conditions. As the complexity and knowledge of neurological and neurosurgical conditions increases, we are now required to learn and indoctrinate our peers and students with the correct skills and methods of examination. Emphasis on the correct techniques of testing muscle strength is essential to avoid errors in recording muscle power and in testing specific muscles which may have overlapping functions. The manual muscle testing of muscles of scapula and upper limbs was performed as to mimic a bedside clinical examination and involved an examiner, a patient and a videographer. The manual muscle testing has been performed in rostrocaudal manner starting from the scapula and ending with the thumbs. A reliable and consistent method of manual muscle testing is lacking among students and clinicians. By adhering to the methods delineated in our text and accompanying video, we hope to reduce inter-examiner variability and increase the reliability and validity of this important examination.