Koshiro Sawada, MD, PhD, Eiichi Saitoh, MD, PhD, Motoyuki Horii, MD, PhD,
Daisuke Imoto, Norihide Itoh, PhD, Yasuo Mikami, MD, PhD, Takumi Ikeda, MD, PhD,
Suzuyo Ohashi, MD, PhD, Ryu Terauchi, MD, PhD, Hiroyoshi Fujiwara, MD, PhD,
Toshikazu Kubo, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 8: 51-55, 2017
Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate
whether manual muscle test (MMT) for the hip
(abduction, flexion, and extension), knee (flexion and
extension), and ankle (dorsal flexion) muscles are
acceptable in routine clinical practice.
Methods: The study included 222 participants (487
examinations, 974 legs) of periodic medical
examinations for polio survivors in the Tokai district
of Japan. The subjects were 175 men (350 legs) and
312 women (624 legs) with an average age at the time
of examination of 62.2 (32-82) and 61.6 (47-83)
years, respectively. The results of handheld dynametric
muscle test were compared for each MMT grade
and joint motion.
Results: Significant differences in muscle strength
were observed for the majority of pairs of MMT
grades, excluding the MMT 0/1 pair. The specific
combinations with no significant differences were
MMT 1/2 for knee flexion (women); and MMT 0/2
(both men and women), 1/2 (both men and women),
and 3/4 (men) for ankle dorsal flexion.
Conclusion: Clinical MMT measurements seem to be
generally acceptable, at least when performed by
physical therapists with 5 or more years of clinical
experience. However, ankle dorsal flexion requires
especially careful assessment.
Key words: manual muscle test, dynametric muscle test, polio, post-polio syndrome