Range of motion
Elbow and Forearm ROM
The elbow is the joint where functional ROM is most famous: Morrey's study found most daily activities are accomplished within a 100-degree arc, from 30 to 130 degrees of flexion, with about 50 degrees each of pronation and supination. A patient missing the last 20 degrees of extension often has no functional deficit at all, which is worth saying in documentation.
Normal values
| Motion | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Elbow flexion | 0-150 |
| Elbow extension | 0 (full extension) |
| Forearm pronation | 0-80 |
| Forearm supination | 0-80 |
Degrees from anatomical neutral. Confirm against the AAOS booklet or Norkin & White before clinical use.
Source: AAOS Joint Motion (1965)
| Motion | Functional range |
|---|---|
| Flexion-extension | 30-130 (100-degree arc) |
| Pronation | About 50 |
| Supination | About 50 |
Ranges within which most studied daily activities were accomplished. Confirm against the published study before clinical use.
Source: Morrey et al., 1981
Clinical notes
- Feeding runs high in the arc (about 130 degrees of flexion to reach the mouth); pushing up from a chair runs low, toward full extension.
- Forearm rotation is measured with the elbow flexed to 90 and tucked at the side; letting the elbow drift into extension recruits shoulder rotation and inflates the number.
- Supination carries keys-and-coins tasks and receiving objects in the palm; pronation carries keyboarding and most tabletop work.
- A fixed flexion contracture under about 30 degrees rarely limits ADLs per the functional arc, but document the task impact, not just the angle.
References
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Joint Motion: Method of Measuring and Recording. Chicago: AAOS; 1965. Values as commonly reproduced in goniometry references (e.g., Norkin & White, Measurement of Joint Motion).
- Morrey BF, Askew LJ, Chao EY. A biomechanical study of normal functional elbow motion. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1981;63(6):872-877. PubMed