title: The "make/break test" as a diagnostic tool in functional weakness.
abstract: Strength was measured in four major muscle groups with a hand-held dynamometer. The "make" and "break" technique was used with and without encouragement, and fatiguability was tested in patients with organic weakness and patients with functional weakness. Patients with functional weakness could be distinguished from the other two groups by an increase in strength greater than 20% with the break compared with the make technique. Additionally they tend to show larger increases in strength with encouragement and their "fatiguability" was less.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: van der Ploeg
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology