Range of motion testing: a measured number instead of an estimate
Goniometer and inclinometer measurement of joint and spinal motion, taken the same way every visit, so restrictions and impairment findings rest on data somebody can check rather than on a clinician’s impression. Rated in-house by Level II accredited physicians.
For employers
Restrictions and ratings that hold up because they are measured
When a restriction or a rating is challenged, the question is always what it was based on. A documented, repeatable measurement answers that; a clinical impression does not.
What is measured
Motion measured by region, and compared against something
Range of motion is how far a joint moves before something stops it — pain, stiffness, structure or guarding. Measured properly it is one of the few objective numbers in an injury file, and it is the number restrictions and impairment findings are built on.
Measured casually it is worth very little. What makes it usable is method: the same instrument, the same landmarks, the same positioning, repeated until the readings agree, and compared against the uninjured side or the previous visit rather than reported alone.
- Injured workers on an open claim
- Workers approaching return to full duty
- Employers and adjusters needing an objective baseline
- Pre-placement and post-offer testing
Cervical spine
Flexion, extension, rotation and lateral bending, taken with an inclinometer rather than by eye.
Lumbar and thoracic spine
Dual-inclinometer technique, which separates true spinal motion from the hip movement that inflates a single reading.
Shoulder
Flexion, abduction, and internal and external rotation, with the trunk stabilised so the shoulder blade does not do the work.
Elbow, wrist and hand
Goniometer at each joint, with grip and pinch recorded where the injury or the job calls for it.
Hip, knee and ankle
Goniometer through the ranges the job actually uses, weight-bearing where it is safe to load.
Both sides, every time
The uninjured side is measured too. A number is only meaningful next to the comparison it came with.
Range of motion is measured, not imaged. When the findings suggest a structural injury, ICA orders the imaging referral, follows up on the report, and remains the authorized treating provider of record.
How it works
A measurement anyone can repeat
Readings are repeated until they agree; a single outlier is not the result.
Reason for the measurement
A new injury, a progress check, a restriction review, an impairment rating at maximum medical improvement, or part of a capacity evaluation — it changes what gets measured.
Warm-up and positioning
Positioning and landmarks set before any reading, because a badly positioned joint measures badly.
Measure and repeat
Each motion taken more than once; readings that disagree are repeated rather than averaged away.
Compare and record
Read against the uninjured side and the previous visit, and written into the record with the method used.
Before you come in
Before the measurement
Nothing about this test is a strength test, and none of it should be pushed into real pain.
Worth knowing
- Wear clothing that lets the joint move and be seen — shorts for a knee, a sleeveless top for a shoulder.
- Take your usual pain medication on your normal schedule, and tell the clinician what you took and when.
- Move to where it stops, not past it. Pushing through pain produces a number that is wrong in both directions.
Bring
- Photo ID and your claim number, if you have one
- Your employer’s authorization
- Any prior measurements or therapy notes from another provider
- A list of current medications
Results
What the number is used for
A range of motion reading is a clinical finding, not a verdict. It goes into the record with the method beside it, and it is read alongside the examination, the history and the job’s actual demands — never on its own.
Injured worker
Same visit
- What was measured and what it showed
- How it compares with the last visit and the uninjured side
- What it means for what you are cleared to do
Employer and adjuster
With the visit note
- Objective findings supporting the restrictions in place
- A measurable trend across visits rather than a repeated opinion
- Measurements that carry into an impairment rating or a capacity evaluation without being re-taken
Treating record
Retained
- Every reading with the instrument and method used
- The comparison values it was read against
- Available to the providers handling the claim
Common questions
Range of motion testing, answered
Answers from our collectors and clinicians. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Is this an X-ray?
No. Nothing is imaged and there is no radiation — a clinician moves the joint and measures the angle with a goniometer or inclinometer. If your injury needs imaging, we order the referral to an imaging facility, review the report when it comes back, and stay the treating provider on your claim.
Will it hurt?
It should not. You move to where the motion stops and no further, and you say so when you get there. Forcing past that point gives a number that helps nobody, including you.
Can I fail it?
There is nothing to pass. Readings that do not agree with each other, or with the rest of the examination, are noted as inconsistent and repeated — they are not scored against you. The point is a number somebody can rely on.
Do you perform impairment ratings?
Yes. Our Level II accredited physicians perform impairment ratings, rated under the AMA Guides edition Colorado’s Division of Workers’ Compensation requires. Because the measurements behind a rating are taken here as well, the rating is built on this clinic’s own record rather than on numbers from somewhere else. General information, not legal advice.
Is this the same as an FCE?
No. A capacity evaluation is a longer assessment of what you can do across a working day, and range of motion is one measurement inside it. This can also be done on its own during an ordinary visit.
Need an objective baseline, or a rating, on an open claim?
Monday–Friday, 7am to 5pm at Denver, Lakewood, Parker, and Thornton. Hablamos Español.
- Denver(303) 531-4144
- Thornton720-531-8377
- Parker720-409-0007
- Lakewood(720) 689-9655