VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
Muscle Injuries DBQ: Official VA Form
Find VA's public Muscle Injuries Disability Benefits Questionnaire, its scope notes and 31 related diagnostic-code references.
The public Muscle Injuries Disability Benefits Questionnaire records medical information for VA evaluation. The form itself provides its current questions, definitions, examination and clinician requirements. A completed form is evidence; it does not establish service connection or guarantee an evaluation.
Muscle Injuries Form
Related Diagnostic Code Subjects
31 code subjects are associated with this form in this educational directory. These editorial subject associations are not official VA assignments, and the form may not be appropriate for every examination or claim.
- DC 5301: Group I. Function: Upward rotation of scapula; elevation of arm above shoulder level. Extrinsic muscles of shoulder girdle: (1) Trapezius; (2) levator scapulae; (3) serratus magnus
- DC 5302: Group II. Function: Depression of arm from vertical overhead to hanging at side (1, 2); downward rotation of scapula (3, 4); 1 and 2 act with Group III in forward and backward swing of arm. Extrinsic muscles of shoulder girdle: (1) Pectoralis major II (costosternal); (2) latissimus dorsi and teres major (teres major, although technically an intrinsic muscle, is included with latissimus dorsi); (3) pectoralis minor; (4) rhomboid
- DC 5303: Group III. Function: Elevation and abduction of arm to level of shoulder; act with 1 and 2 of Group II in forward and backward swing of arm. Intrinsic muscles of shoulder girdle: (1) Pectoralis major I (clavicular); (2) deltoid
- DC 5304: Group IV. Function: Stabilization of shoulder against injury in strong movements, holding head of humerus in socket; abduction; outward rotation and inward rotation of arm. Intrinsic muscles of shoulder girdle: (1) Supraspinatus; (2) infraspinatus and teres minor; (3) subscapularis; (4) coracobrachialis
- DC 5305: Group V. Function: Elbow supination (1) (long head of biceps is stabilizer of shoulder joint); flexion of elbow (1, 2, 3). Flexor muscles of elbow: (1) Biceps; (2) brachialis; (3) brachioradialis
- DC 5306: Group VI. Function: Extension of elbow (long head of triceps is stabilizer of shoulder joint). Extensor muscles of the elbow: (1) Triceps; (2) anconeus
- DC 5307: Group VII. Function: Flexion of wrist and fingers. Muscles arising from internal condyle of humerus: Flexors of the carpus and long flexors of fingers and thumb; pronator
- DC 5308: Group VIII. Function: Extension of wrist, fingers, and thumb; abduction of thumb. Muscles arising mainly from external condyle of humerus: Extensors of carpus, fingers, and thumb; supinator
- DC 5309: Group IX. Function: The forearm muscles act in strong grasping movements and are supplemented by the intrinsic muscles in delicate manipulative movements. Intrinsic muscles of hand: Thenar eminence; short flexor, opponens, abductor and adductor of thumb; hypothenar eminence; short flexor, opponens and abductor of little finger; 4 lumbricales; 4 dorsal and 3 palmar interossei
- DC 5310: Group X. Function: Movements of forefoot and toes; propulsion thrust in walking. Intrinsic muscles of the foot: Plantar: (1) Flexor digitorum brevis; (2) abductor hallucis; (3) abductor digiti minimi; (4) quadratus plantae; (5) lumbricales; (6) flexor hallucis brevis; (7) adductor hallucis; (8) flexor digiti minimi brevis; (9) dorsal and plantar interossei. Other important plantar structures: Plantar aponeurosis, long plantar and calcaneonavicular ligament, tendons of posterior tibial, peroneus longus, and long flexors of great and little toes
- DC 5311: Group XI. Function: Propulsion, plantar flexion of foot (1); stabilization of arch (2, 3); flexion of toes (4, 5); Flexion of knee (6). Posterior and lateral crural muscles, and muscles of the calf: (1) Triceps surae (gastrocnemius and soleus); (2) tibialis posterior; (3) peroneus longus; (4) peroneus brevis; (5) flexor hallucis longus; (6) flexor digitorum longus; (7) popliteus; (8) plantaris
- DC 5312: Group XII. Function: Dorsiflexion (1); extension of toes (2); stabilization of arch (3). Anterior muscles of the leg: (1) Tibialis anterior; (2) extensor digitorum longus; (3) extensor hallucis longus; (4) peroneus tertius
- DC 5313: Group XIII. Function: Extension of hip and flexion of knee; outward and inward rotation of flexed knee; acting with rectus femoris and sartorius (see XIV, 1, 2) synchronizing simultaneous flexion of hip and knee and extension of hip and knee by belt-over-pulley action at knee joint. Posterior thigh group, Hamstring complex of 2-joint muscles: (1) Biceps femoris; (2) semimembranosus; (3) semitendinosus
- DC 5314: Group XIV. Function: Extension of knee (2, 3, 4, 5); simultaneous flexion of hip and flexion of knee (1); tension of fascia lata and iliotibial (Maissiat's) band, acting with XVII (1) in postural support of body (6); acting with hamstrings in synchronizing hip and knee (1, 2). Anterior thigh group: (1) Sartorius; (2) rectus femoris; (3) vastus externus; (4) vastus intermedius; (5) vastus internus; (6) tensor vaginae femoris
- DC 5315: Group XV. Function: Adduction of hip (1, 2, 3, 4); flexion of hip (1, 2); flexion of knee (4). Mesial thigh group: (1) Adductor longus; (2) adductor brevis; (3) adductor magnus; (4) gracilis
- DC 5316: Group XVI. Function: Flexion of hip (1, 2, 3). Pelvic girdle group 1: (1) Psoas; (2) iliacus; (3) pectineus
- DC 5317: Group XVII. Function: Extension of hip (1); abduction of thigh; elevation of opposite side of pelvis (2, 3); tension of fascia lata and iliotibial (Maissiat's) band, acting with XIV (6) in postural support of body steadying pelvis upon head of femur and condyles of femur on tibia (1). Pelvic girdle group 2: (1) Gluteus maximus; (2) gluteus medius; (3) gluteus minimus
- DC 5318: Group XVIII. Function: Outward rotation of thigh and stabilization of hip joint. Pelvic girdle group 3: (1) Pyriformis; (2) gemellus (superior or inferior); (3) obturator (external or internal); (4) quadratus femoris
- DC 5319: Group XIX. Function: Support and compression of abdominal wall and lower thorax; flexion and lateral motions of spine; synergists in strong downward movements of arm (1). Muscles of the abdominal wall: (1) Rectus abdominis; (2) external oblique; (3) internal oblique; (4) transversalis; (5) quadratus lumborum
- DC 5320: Group XX. Function: Postural support of body; extension and lateral movements of spine. Spinal muscles: Sacrospinalis (erector spinae and its prolongations in thoracic and cervical regions)
- DC 5321: Group XXI. Function: Respiration. Muscles of respiration: Thoracic muscle group
- DC 5322: Group XXII. Function: Rotary and forward movements of the head; respiration; deglutition. Muscles of the front of the neck: (Lateral, supra-, and infrahyoid group.) (1) Trapezius I (clavicular insertion); (2) sternocleidomastoid; (3) the “hyoid” muscles; (4) sternothyroid; (5) digastric
- DC 5323: Group XXIII. Function: Movements of the head; fixation of shoulder movements. Muscles of the side and back of the neck: Suboccipital; lateral vertebral and anterior vertebral muscles
- DC 5324: Diaphragm, rupture of, with herniation. Rate under diagnostic code 7346
- DC 5325: Muscle injury, facial muscles. Evaluate functional impairment as seventh (facial) cranial nerve neuropathy (diagnostic code 8207), disfiguring scar (diagnostic code 7800), etc. Minimum, if interfering to any extent with mastication-10
- DC 5326: Muscle hernia, extensive. Without other injury to the muscle-10
- DC 5327: Muscle, neoplasm of, malignant (excluding soft tissue sarcoma)-100
- DC 5328: Muscle, neoplasm of, benign, postoperative. Rate on impairment of function, i.e., limitation of motion, or scars, diagnostic code 7805, etc
- DC 5329: Sarcoma, soft tissue (of muscle, fat, or fibrous connective tissue)-100
- DC 5330: Rhabdomyolysis, residuals of
- DC 5331: Compartment syndrome
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Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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