The nurse is performing a musculoskeletal assessment on a client admit

The nurse is performing a musculoskeletal assessment on a client admitted with a possible stroke. When testing for muscle grip strength, the nurse should ask the client to perform which action?

1. Grasp the nurse’s index and middle fingers while the nurse tries to pull the fingers out.
2. Hold an arm up and resist while the nurse tries to push it down.
3. Flex each arm and then try to extend it against the nurse’s attempt to keep the arm in flexion.
4. Shrug the shoulders against the resistance of the nurse’s hands.

ANSWER

Correct Answer: 1
Rationale: This is the technique to assess muscle grip strength.