Range of motion
Shoulder ROM
Shoulder norms describe the full available arc, but most ADLs live well inside it. Documenting both the measured range and its functional adequacy tells the clearer story: a shoulder that cannot reach 90 degrees of flexion is a dressing and grooming problem long before it is a goniometry number.
Normal values
| Motion | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Flexion | 0-180 |
| Extension | 0-60 |
| Abduction | 0-180 |
| Internal (medial) rotation | 0-70 |
| External (lateral) rotation | 0-90 |
Degrees from anatomical neutral. Confirm against the AAOS booklet or Norkin & White before clinical use.
Source: AAOS Joint Motion (1965)
Clinical notes
- Hand-to-head tasks (washing and combing hair) need roughly 70 to 120 degrees of flexion with external rotation; hand-to-back tasks (bra fastening, tucking a shirt, perineal hygiene) run on internal rotation with extension.
- Measure flexion and abduction supine or seated with the trunk stabilized; scapular substitution and trunk lean are the two most common inflations of a shoulder measurement.
- Rotation is conventionally measured with the shoulder abducted to 90 degrees and elbow flexed to 90; if pain limits that position, measure with the arm at the side and document the position used.
- Painful arc between roughly 60 and 120 degrees of active abduction suggests subacromial involvement and is worth noting alongside the numbers.
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).