Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Range of Motion


With the gradual process of aging, with short-term hospitalization, with a disease process, or with an injury, you or your loved ones may experience weakness and observe more and more limitations of the use of your muscles and extremities.  It is at this point where range of motion exercises will become more important than ever to restore and preserve your level of functioning.  They always say, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

Range of motion (ROM) is the term that refers to the amount of movement you have in each joint.  Every joint in the body has a range of motion that is considered “normal.”  However, the amount of movement in a joint will vary greatly between individuals.  ROM exercises are different exercises that are completed to preserve flexibility and mobility of the joints on which they are performed.  These exercises will serve to reduce stiffness and will prevent or in a sense, slow down, the freezing of your joints that may occur as the result of a disease process, or as you tend to move less often.  Joints maintain their normal ROM simply by being moved, so if your movement is compromised, the ROM of the joint will gradually decline.  The decline in ROM may cause stiffness, which can make it more difficult to complete the activities you do on a daily basis.  Plus, if range of motion in joints has declined and if they are suddenly used, the individual may experience pain.  It is very important to move your joints each and every day to maintain your optimal ROM to prevent pain and stiffness.

Physical therapists are the licensed professionals that most generally perform ROM exercises, or they may teach other licensed professionals to perform the ROM exercises safely in their absence.  Physical therapists measure range of motion in a joint with an instrument called a goniometer.  This instrument measures joint ROM in degrees from its starting position.



Usually, ROM is the range of flexion and extension of the joints in your body.  Extension is a physical position that decreases the angle between the bones of the limb at a joint.  It occurs when muscles contract and bones move the joint into a bent position.  The opposite movement is flexion, which bends the joint so that the joint angle shortens.  An injury to the soft tissue surrounding a joint often will reduce ROM due to swelling and tissue damage, such as a sprained ankle.  Therefore, regaining ROM in a joint is one of the first phases of injury rehabilitation.  Physical therapists will often prescribe specific ROM exercises for each joint according to how they are affected.  The pain an individual is experiencing must be managed effectively first to ensure the best possible participation and outcomes from the exercises.

Other terms you may hear related to range of motion exercises are abduction, adduction, inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.  Abduction is the movement of a joint away from the midline of the body.  Adduction is the movement of a joint more toward the midline of the body.  Inversion and eversion are ROM exercises used for the feet.  Inversion involves turning the sole of the foot medially, toward the midline of the body.  Eversion involves turning the sole of the foot laterally, away from the midline of the body.  Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion are used as ROM exercises for the ankle.  Dorsiflexion involves moving the foot so that the toes are pointing upward, as you may do to stop a door from closing.  Plantar flexion involves moving the foot so the toes are pointing downward, as you may do to plant something in your garden.  Those ROM exercises are just a handful of what you may be asked to perform depending upon you situation.  Your physical therapist will evaluate you thoroughly to develop a plan of ROM exercises that will restore and allow you to regain your most optimal level of functioning. 

Total Home Health has a program available for those that require range of motion exercises. Skilled visits will be performed by licensed professionals in your home for you so that you may complete these exercises according to your plan of care.  Total Home Health professionals will accompany you in your journey so that you may regain independence in your daily life without pain and suffering.



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