Upper vs lower extremity functional XXXX .

@entity1 @entity4094 @entity3986 @entity1555 @entity3918 @entity17325 @entity121
Functional rating scales have been developed for evaluation of upper extremity (UE) and lower extremity (LE) function in @entity1555 ( @entity1555 ). The Vignos scale is accepted for LE function and the Brooke scale for UE evaluation. The assumption that UE functional loss parallels LE loss has never been tested. Furthermore, there are no studies examining the relationship between UE/LE strength. This study tests the hypothesis that UE/LE strength and functional losses are parallel in @entity1555 and other @entity4094 . Vignos grades, Brooke grades, and manual muscle test scores were determined for 27 @entity1 with @entity1555 , 10 @entity1 with @entity3986 ( @entity3986 ), 24 @entity1 with @entity3918 ( @entity3918 ) and 29 @entity1 with other ( @entity1555 and @entity17325 ) proximal @entity121 (PM). Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for UE vs LE functional grade and strength scores and subjected to significance analysis. While all correlations were statistically significantly different from zero (p less than 0.01), all were also significantly different from one (p less than 0.01), none representing perfect equivalence. Coefficients of determination indicated that a maximum of 86% ( @entity3986 ) of variation in UE rank could be explained purely by observing LE rank. While there is a significant relationship between UE/LE strength and functional grade, these measurements were not found to be entirely equivalent. Therefore, while measures of lower body function or strength might be used as a substitute for UE measurements in drug trials in which global effects are expected, the two measurements are not equivalent when evaluating an individual's clinical status.
