You are testing the biceps strength in a young man following a spinal trauma from a motor vehicle accident. He cannot lift his hand upward, but if the arm is abducted to 90 degrees, he can then move his forearm side to side. This would represent which muscle strength grading?

Muscle strength grading can be described as a system which by physical therapists (PTs) employ to determine how a muscle or set of muscles is working.

Manual muscle testing (MMT) is employed to gauge muscle strength on a five-point scale which 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, and 5/5.

The relevant muscle strength grading to this question is a 2/5 muscle strength grading.

A 2/5 muscle strength grading is the grade that is assigned to a muscle that can contract but not fully move a body part against gravity. When gravity is lowered or eliminated by a change in body posture, the body component will be able to move through its full range of motion.

Therefore, this would represent a 2/5 grade muscle strength grading.