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Updated: Sep 3, 2025
Manual Muscle Testing: A Method of Measuring Extremity Muscle Strength Applied to Critically Ill Patients
Published on: April 12, 2011
Muscle strength/intensive care unit acquired weakness in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients
Elham Rahiminezhad1, Mohammad Ali Zakeri2, Mahlagha Dehghan3,4
1Student Research Committee, Razi Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Background:
Intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICU-AW) affects both coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 patients. ICU-AW can result in a variety of consequences, including increased patient mortality.
Aims:
The current study aimed to compare muscle strength and ICU-AW in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
Study Design:
This was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical pilot study.
Methods:
Fifteen conscious COVID-19 patients and 15 conscious non-COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICUs of a public hospital were selected by convenience sampling. Muscle strength in arms and legs was assessed by a hand-held dynamometer (HHD), and ICU-AW was measured with the medical research council sum score (MRC-SS) scale on the first, fourth, and seventh days of admission to ICUs.
Results:
The results showed that muscle strength in the arms and legs of the COVID-19 patients assessed by a HHD and MRC was significantly lower than that of non-COVID-19 patients. On the fourth day of ICU admission, 80% of the COVID-19 patients and 40% of the non-COVID-19 patients had ICU-AW. All COVID-19 patients and 86.8% of the non-COVID-19 patients had ICU-AW on the seventh day of ICU admission.
Conclusions:
Decreased muscle strength and ICU-AW are more likely in COVID-19 patients who must stay in the ICU compared with non-COVID-19 patients.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
Health systems should plan to provide rehabilitation facilities for COVID-19 patients and prevent prolonged complications of COVID-19.
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