How to Measure Shoulder Flexion Range of Motion

Anyone who has blocked a shot in basketball, spiked a ball in volleyball or reached for something on a high shelf has used shoulder flexion. While reaching up high for something is a task many people take for granted, it is a function that can be lost if you have a strain, sprain or other injury to the shoulder joint. Usually, the injury will manifest itself in the form of pain or a lack of shoulder flexion mobility.

Things You'll Need

• Goniometer
• Exam table

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Instructions

• 1

  Have the patient lie on the table on his back. Make sure his legs are bent at the knees to avoid pressure on the lower back; bending the knees allows the back to lie flat. Make sure the patient's arms are alongside his body with his palms facing in.

• 2

  Using palpation, find the greater tuberosity of the humerus on the outside of the upper arm/shoulder. This is where many muscles attach, so you can feel it prominently when the patient rotates the arm back and forth. Place the fulcrum of the goniometer on the greater tuberosity and make sure the stationary arm is in line with the trunk of the body.

• 3

  Raise the patient's arm up through a full range of motion so the arm is over the patient's head. Place the moving arm of the goniometer over the shaft of the humerus and read the degree reading on the goniometer. This will tell you the degree of the range of motion of shoulder flexion.

• 4

  Record the shoulder flexion range of motion on the patient's chart in the appropriate spot. Make sure you note that you measured the full shoulder complex range of motion rather than only the glenohumeral joint range of motion. You should also note if the patient experienced any pain during the movement, and whether or not the flexion was passive or active.

• 5

  Compare the patient's results to the standard 180 degrees of range of motion for flexion of the shoulder complex. If the patient reaches 180 or more without pain, she is in good shape for range of motion. If the patient has an impairment, she may not be able to reach 180 degrees of shoulder flexion.