Normal range of motion chart
Pick a joint, read the reference, and drag your measured value against it. The percentage matters less than the side-to-side difference — but you need the reference to know which conversation you are having.
| Motion | Reference | Goniometer axis |
|---|---|---|
| 45° | External auditory meatus | |
| 45° | External auditory meatus | |
| 80° | Crown of the head | |
| 45° | C7 spinous process |
45° against a reference of 45° — 100%, at or above the reference.
Chin to chest; keep the thoracic spine still.
flexion
The uninjured side is the better reference
Population norms are wide. A 62° cervical rotation looks limited against an 80° reference and is unremarkable in someone whose other side reads 64°. Measure both, record both, and let the difference drive the plan — the absolute number is for the chart, the difference is for the clinic.
Sources disagree by a few degrees
Reference values below are the AAOS figures as reproduced in Norkin & White, Measurement of Joint Motion: A Guide to Goniometry. Published sources differ by roughly 5–10° at several joints; the AMA Guides use a partly different set. Treat them as reference ranges, not pass/fail cut-offs.
Empirical adult values by age and sex were published in Soucie JM et al. Range of motion measurements: reference values and a database for comparison studies. Haemophilia. 2011;17(3):500-507 — the CDC-funded normal joint ROM study, which measured healthy subjects by age and sex.
Repeatability beats precision
A goniometer read twice by the same clinician in the same position is a useful number. The same joint measured by two people in two positions is not comparable, whatever the decimals say. Fix the patient’s position, fix the landmarks, and write down which you used — the measurement guide walks through the error you should expect.
Where these numbers end up
In the objective section of the note and in the goal line of the plan. A pre and post reading on the same visit is the cheapest evidence of effect you will ever collect — see the SOAP note builder for where it sits on the page.
Red flag — refer out
A range that is worsening visit on visit against treatment, or a sudden loss with pain out of proportion, is not a measurement problem. Stop measuring and refer.
Sources
- Norkin CC, White DJ. Measurement of Joint Motion: A Guide to Goniometry — the AAOS reference values as reproduced there; published sources differ by roughly 5–10° at several joints
- Soucie JM et al. Range of motion measurements: reference values and a database for comparison studies. Haemophilia. 2011;17(3):500–507 — the CDC-funded normal-ROM study, measured by age and sex · read 2026-09-04
Keep reading
Home Exercise Program Builder
Build a printable home programme with sets, reps, holds and band tension.
Pain Scale
An interactive 0-10 numeric rating scale with the wording each anchor uses.
Borg RPE Scale
The 6-20 and 0-10 Borg scales side by side, with a target zone readout.
DASH Score Calculator
Score the 30-item DASH disability questionnaire and read the result.