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Key Takeaways
- The normal range of motion (ROM) varies by the joint, with a generally accepted range established for most adults.
- This includes measurements of the flexion (bending), extension (straightening), rotation (twisting), supination (rolling outward), and pronation (rolling inward) of a joint.
- Factors that can positively or negatively influence ROM include age, sex, joint injury or disease, activity levels, and natural variations in joint anatomy.
The normal range of motion (ROM) of a joint is the full extent to which a joint can be moved in all anatomical directions without pain or injury. This not only includes how far you can flex or straighten a joint, but also to what extent you can rotate a joint inward or outward, or move it toward or away from the center line of the body. Certain factors can influence ROM, including age, sex, underlying conditions, and past injuries.
Verywell/Laura Porter
How Range of Motion Is Measured
A joint’s range of motion is usually measured with a device called a goniometerwhich functions like a protractor. The goniometer has two arms that align with the body parts around the joint being assessed, such as the thigh and calf for the knee. It can also measure how much a joint can rotate.
For measuring range of motion in the spine, an inclinometer is used. This device can better fit the shape of the spine as the vertebrae, or spinal bones, bend or twist.
There are both manual and digital goniometers and inclinometers (including some available as smartphone apps).
You can find both manual and digital goniometers and inclinometers, and some are available as smartphone apps.
Types of Joint Movements Measured
The normal range of motion for each joint varies based on its structure. Some joints, like the knee or elbow, are hinge joints and move in one direction. Others, such as the shoulder or hip, are ball-and-socket joints that can move in multiple directions at once.
Physical therapists use specific terms to describe joint movements:
- Extension: Straightening of a joint
- Flexion: Bending of a joint
- Abduction: Moving a joint away from the midline of the body
- Adduction: Moving a joint toward the midline of the body
- Pronation: Inward rolling of a joint
- Supination: Outward rolling of a joint
- Rotation: Movement of a joint around an axis
Additional terms help describe movement directions:
- Horizontal: Parallel to the floor
- Vertical: Perpendicular to the floor
- Medial: Toward the midline of the body
- Lateral: Away from the midline of the body
Others can be applied to specific joints of the body, including:
- Dorsiflexion: Upward bending of the foot
- Plantar flexion: Downward bending of the foot
- Ulnar deviation Movement of the wrist/hand medially or toward the pinky side
- Radial deviation: Movement of the wrist/hand laterally or toward the thumb
- Lateral flexion: Moving the spine/trunk from side to side
Generally Accepted Range of Motion of Joints
The range of motion of a joint is measured in degrees (°). For most healthy adults, the following ranges are generally accepted as normal:
| Joint | Movement | ROM | How It Is Measured |
| Neck | Flexion | 45° | Bring your chin to your chest. |
| Extension | 45° | Point your chin upward toward the ceiling. | |
| Lateral bending | 45° | Bring your ear to your left and right shoulders, | |
| Rotation | 60° | Turn your head to the left and right. | |
| Spine | Flexion | 75° | Bend forward at the waist. |
| Extension | 30° | Bend backward. | |
| Lateral bending | 35° | Bend to the left and right sides. | |
| Shoulder | Abduction | 180° | Lift your arm to your side. |
| Adduction | 40° | Lower your arm down to your side and across your midline. | |
| Horizontal extension | 45° | Move your arm horizontally behind you. | |
| Horizontal flexion | 130° | Move your arm horizontally in front of you across your chest. | |
| Vertical extension | 60° | Swing your arm straight backward. | |
| Vertical flexion | 180° | Swing your arm straight forward. | |
| Elbow | Flexion | 150° | Bring your lower arm toward your biceps. |
| Extension | 0° | Straighten your lower arm. | |
| Supination | 90° | Turn your lower arm with your palm facing up. | |
| Pronation | 90° | Turn your lower arm with your palm facing down. | |
| Wrist | Flexion | 80° | Bend your wrist straight upward toward your forearm. |
| Extension | 70° | Bend your wrist straight backward toward your forearm. | |
| Ulnar deviation | 30-50° | Bend your flat wrist to the side toward the thumb | |
| Radial deviation | 20° | Bend your flat wrist to the side toward the pinky. | |
| Hip | Flexion | 120° | Flex your knee, bringing the thigh toward the abdomen. |
| Extension | 20° | Move your thigh backward without moving your pelvis. | |
| Abduction | 40° | Swing your thigh straight outward to your side. | |
| Adduction | 20° | Bring your thigh inward toward and across your midline. | |
| Medial rotation | 40° | Flex your knee and swing your lower leg away from the midline. | |
| Lateral rotation | 45° | Flex your knee and swing your lower leg toward the midline. | |
| Knee | Flexion | 135° | Bring your calf toward the back of your thigh. |
| Extension | 0° | Straighten your knee as much as possible. | |
| Medial rotation | 10° | Twist your lower leg toward your midline. | |
| Lateral rotation | 30-40° | Twist your lower leg away from your midline. | |
| Ankle | Flexion | 50° | Bend your ankle so that your toes point up. |
| Extension | 20° | Bend your ankle so that your toes point down. | |
| Pronation | 30° | Roll your foot so that the sole faces inward. | |
| Supination | 20° | Roll your foot so that the sole faces outward, |
Factors Influencing ROM
The normal range of motion of a joint is not absolute, with natural variability in joint anatomy from one person to the next. Some people are naturally more flexible than others or may become so due to practices like stretching, yoga, or ballet.
Other factors can influence ROM, including:
- Age: ROM tends to decrease as you get older, with some studies suggesting a loss of up to 45% from youth to older age.
- Sex: Women tend to have more flexibility in their hips due to the structure of their pelvis. Some studies suggest that women also have 30% more ROM in their hands than men.
- Medical conditions: ROM can be significantly reduced by injuries, arthritis, and other conditions affecting joints and surrounding tissues.
- Activity levels: People with higher activity levels tend to have a greater ROM than those who are sedentary or inactive.
ROM is not a fixed value. Rather, it is a measurement used by physical therapists as a baseline from which to design a program to restore or improve upon the existing range of motion of a joint.
This may involve a program of active ROM exercises (performed entirely on your own), active assistive ROM exercises (performed with the help of a therapist), or passive ROM exercises (in which you do nothing and the physical therapist or a machine does all the work).
With persistence, the normal range of motion of a joint can be restored. If not, other treatments, including total joint replacement surgery, may be explored.