A patient with a head injury presents with abnormal flexion of his extremities. What numeric value should you assign to him for motor response?

In the context of assessing a patient with a head injury using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the motor response is evaluated on a scale from 1 to 6. Abnormal flexion of the extremities is typically indicative of what is known as "decorticate posturing." This type of response suggests that the brain is still functioning at a level that can exhibit some motor activity but is not fully responsive.

A score of 3 is assigned when a patient demonstrates abnormal flexion in response to stimuli. This suggests a significant impairment of neurological function, reflecting a brain injury that may be severe but still shows some signs of basic neurological activity. For the purpose of assessment, recognizing abnormal flexion as a specific response aligns it with the established scoring system of the GCS, thus warranted assigning a value of 3 for motor response in this scenario.

Comparatively, other scores on the GCS represent different levels of responsiveness, including voluntary movements and purposeful actions, which would be higher on the scale, while lower scores would indicate more severe neurological impairment without any significant motor response.