Fugl-Meyer Assessment: Motor Subscale

Objective

The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) is a performance scale specifically developed for evaluating patients following a stroke. It facilitates the analysis of different domains: motor function, sensory function, balance, joint range of motion and joint pain. This tool is widely used in clinical practice as well as in research for quantifying the severity of impairments, describing the progression of motor rehabilitation and guiding the planning and evaluation of treatment. The version presented here corresponds only to the motor subscale of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment.

Interpretation

The complete Fugl-Meyer Assessment includes 5 domains, made up of a total of 155 items:

• motor function: upper and lower limbs;
• sensory function: light bilateral touch on the arm and the leg, as well as the proprioception of 8 joints;
• balance: 7 tests, including 3 in a seated position and 4 in a standing position;
• joint range of motion: 8 joints evaluated;
• joint pain.

The motor subscale, presented here, explores the movements, coordination, and reflexes of the main joints: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, hip, knee, and ankle.

The scoring is based on the direct observation of the performance. Each item is graded on a 3-point ordinal scale:

• 0 = unable to complete the item;
• 1 = partial completion;
• 2 = full completion.

The maximum total score is out of 226 points. The total score for motor function is out of 100 points, including 66 for the upper extremity and 34 for the lower extremity.

Time

If just the motor subscale is administered, it takes around 20 minutes to complete the test.

Equipment

Upper extremity subscale: chair, reflex hammer, pencil, playing card, small pot such as a Tipp-Ex pot, ball, resistance band, and stopwatch.

Lower extremity subscale: bed, chair, reflex hammer, resistance band, and stopwatch.

Clinical Value

The overall reliability of the FMA appears to be high (overall intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96). The intraevaluator and interevaluator reliability for trained evaluators is high for motor and sensory function scores.

Fugl-Meyer, A.R., Jääskö, L., Leyman, I., Olsson, S., & Steglind, S. (1975). The post-stroke hemiplegic patient. 1. A method for evaluation of physical performance. Scandinavian Journal of Rehab Medicine,7(1),13–31.

Dutil, E., Corriveau, H., & Arsenault, A., Prévost, R. (1989). Protocole d’évaluation de la fonction sensori-motrice : test de Fugl-Meyer. La librairie de l’Université de Montréal.

Kupper,D.,& Bürge, E. (2013). Evaluation de la fonction motrice du membre supérieur parétique à lasuite d’un accident vasculaire cerebral. Bruxelles: Editions Solal,De Boeck. Supérieur

Platz, T., Pinkowski, C., van Wijck, F., Kim, I.H., di Bella, P., & Johnson, G. (2005b). Reliability and validity of arm function assessment with standardized guidelines for the Fugl-Meyer Test, Action Research Arm Test and Box and Block Test : a multicentre study. Clinical Rehabililitation, 19(4), 404–411.

See J1, Dodakian L, Chou C, Chan V, McKenzie A, Reinkensmeyer DJ, Cramer SC. (2013). A standardized approach to the Fugl-Meyer assessment and its implications for clinical trials..Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2013 Oct;27(8):732-41

Sanford, J., Moreland, J., Swanson, L. R., Stratford, P. W., & Gowland, C. (1993). Reliability of the Fugl-Meyer assessment for testing motor performance in patients following stroke. Physical Therapy, 73(7), 447‑454.

Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Sensorimotor Recovery After Stroke (FMA) – Strokengine. (s. d.). Consulté 2 septembre 2025, à l’adresse https://strokengine.ca/fr/assessments/fugl-meyer-assessment-of-sensorimotor-recovery-after-stroke-fma/ (https://strokengine.ca/fr/assessments/fugl-meyer-assessment-of-sensorimotor-recovery-after-stroke-fma/)