Health Encyclopedia

Limited range of motion

Definition

Limited range of motion is a reduction in the normal distance and direction through which a joint can move.

Considerations

Range of motion is the distance and direction of movement of a joint. Limited range of motion is a term meaning that a specific joint or body part cannot move through its normal range of motion.

Motion may be limited by a mechanical problem within the joint, by swelling of tissue around the joint, by stiffness of the muscles, or by pain.

Diseases that prevent a joint from fully extending may, over time, produce contracture deformities, causing permanent inability to extend the joint beyond a certain fixed position.

Common Causes

Rheumatoid arthritis
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Cerebral palsy
Fracture of elbow
Fractures through most joints
Dislocation (of most joints)
Nursemaid's elbow, an injury to the elbow joint -- extremely common
Congenital torticollis
Septic joint (especially septic hip)
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Syphilis
Mucopolysaccharide storage diseases
- Hurler syndrome
- Scheie syndrome
- Hunter syndrome
- Morquio syndrome

Home Care

Your health care provider may recommend range of motion exercises, designed to increase muscle strength and flexibility. Continue these exercises at home.

Call your health care provider if

Visit your health care provider if a joint does not move fully and easily in its normal way. If a joint develops (new) changes in its ability to move, the affected part should be examined to determine the cause.

What to expect at your health care provider's office

The health care provider will perform a physical examination and will ask for your medical history.

Medical history questions showing limited range of motion in detail may include the following:

Time pattern: When did it start?
Quality: How bad is it?
Location
- Where is it exactly?
- Is it only in one location?
Other
- Do you also have pain?
- What other symptoms are present?

Note: Limited range of motion may be discovered by the health care provider during an examination for other conditions, and the affected person may or may not have been aware of its presence.

The muscular system, nervous system, and skeleton may be examined in detail. Depending on the cause, diagnostic tests may be necessary, including the following:

Joint X-rays
Spine X-rays
Tests for the suspected cause

Physical therapy may be recommended.

Review Date:11/2/2006
Reviewed By:Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Reviewprovided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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