Shoulder Shrug Test (Shoulder Abduction) and Prediction of Recovery of Upper Limb Function After a Stroke

Movement of the affected shoulder after a stroke may be predictive of later recovery of upper limb function.

Patient selection: status post stroke

Test: ability to shrug the shoulders

Variations: number of hours or days after the stroke

Various predictions:

(1) early active shoulder abduction predicts good hand function at 1 month

(2) some shoulder abduction on day 2 associated with recovery of some dexterity at 6 months

Muscle strength can be graded using the MRC scale.

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