Range of motion
Normal range of motion by joint
How far each joint usually moves, from a large published study of people without conditions affecting joint mobility — and, joint by joint, how to measure it from a phone video instead of a goniometer. Reference values describe averages. They are not a target, and they are not a verdict on anyone’s joint.
- Shoulder range of motion: normal valuesNormal shoulder flexion by age and sex from the CDC's reference study, and how to measure shoulder range of motion from a phone video.
- Elbow range of motion: normal valuesNormal elbow flexion and extension by age and sex from the CDC's reference study, and how to measure elbow range of motion from a side-on video.
- How to measure wrist range of motionWrist flexion, extension and deviation explained, and how to measure wrist range of motion from a phone video — including what a camera cannot see.
- Hip range of motion: normal valuesNormal hip flexion and extension by age and sex from the CDC's reference study, and how to measure hip range of motion from video — trunk lean included.
- Knee range of motion: normal valuesNormal knee flexion and extension by age and sex from the CDC's reference study, and how to measure knee range of motion from a side-on phone video.
- Ankle range of motion: normal valuesNormal ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion by age and sex from the CDC's reference study, and how to measure ankle range of motion from video.
- How to measure neck range of motionNeck flexion, extension, side bending and rotation explained, and how to film the neck so a phone video can measure the head against the trunk.
- How to measure low back range of motionLow back and trunk range of motion explained: what clinicians measure, and what a video can — the trunk's lean from vertical, frame by frame.
Reference values
| Motion | Women 20–44 | Men 20–44 | Women 45–69 | Men 45–69 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder flexion | 172.0° | 168.8° | 168.1° | 164.0° |
| Elbow flexion | 150.0° | 144.6° | 148.3° | 143.5° |
| Elbow extension | 4.7° | 0.8° | 3.6° | -0.7° |
| Forearm pronation | 82.0° | 76.9° | 80.8° | 77.7° |
| Forearm supination | 90.6° | 85.0° | 87.2° | 82.4° |
| Hip flexion | 133.8° | 130.4° | 130.8° | 127.2° |
| Hip extension | 18.1° | 17.4° | 16.7° | 13.5° |
| Knee flexion | 141.9° | 137.7° | 137.8° | 132.9° |
| Knee extension | 1.6° | 1.0° | 1.2° | 0.5° |
| Ankle dorsiflexion | 13.8° | 12.7° | 11.6° | 11.9° |
| Ankle plantar flexion | 62.1° | 54.6° | 56.5° | 49.4° |
Two ways of writing the same angle
The table uses the clinical convention: a joint in its neutral position is 0°, and the number is how far it has moved from there. Markerless reports the angle between the two segments that meet at the joint, on a 0–360° scale where a straight limb reads 180°. A knee bent 40° from straight therefore reads 140° in Markerless — the distance from 180° is the clinical figure.
Each joint’s page gives its own conversion, because the neutral position is not always a straight line: the ankle’s is a right angle, and the shoulder’s is the arm hanging by the side.
Reference
Soucie, J. M., Wang, C., Forsyth, A., Funk, S., Denny, M., Roach, K. E., Boone, D., & the Hemophilia Treatment Center Network (2011). Range of motion measurements: reference values and a database for comparison studies. Haemophilia, 17(3), 500–507.
The CDC's Normal Joint Range of Motion Study: goniometer measurements of people without conditions affecting joint mobility, published by sex and age group. Every reference value on these pages is copied from its tables.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2516.2010.02399.x