Shoulder Range Of Motion Charts

Understanding the shoulder and its range of motion

A shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint made up of five joints and three bones. These include the clavicle or the collar bone, the scapula, the shoulder blade, and the humerus, which is the long bone in the upper arm. To move the shoulders correctly, the range depends on the muscles, ligaments, bones, and individual joints.

Various conditions can also affect the range of motion, such as fractures, sprains, strains, arthritis, tendonitis, and contusions. Some might even result from a cervical spine issue. X-rays, ultrasounds, and physical exams may be needed to assess the cause of the limited range of motion.

There are various normal shoulder range of motions (with degrees) that one must consider:

Shoulder flexion

The normal range for shoulder flexion is 180 degrees. This concerns moving one's arms from the palms against one body to the highest point where one can raise one's arms over one's head.

Shoulder extension

The normal range is between 45 and 60 degrees. This is the highest point at which one can lift one arm behind one's back, starting with one's palms against one's body.

Shoulder abduction

The normal range is around 150 degrees. This involves starting with one's palms at the sides of one's body and placing one's hands above one's head with one's arms straight.

Shoulder adduction

The normal range is 30 to 50 degrees, depending on body flexibility. This is different for everyone because if one's chest or biceps are muscular, it may be more difficult to move one's arms inward. But essentially, shoulder abduction is when one moves arms towards the middle of one's body or hugs oneself.

Medial rotation

The normal range for medial rotation is 70 to 90 degrees. For this, one should turn one's palms towards one's body, bending one's elbows at 90 degrees so one's hands are essentially in front. Keep the elbows against one's body, and begin to move one's forearms towards the center of one's body.

Lateral rotation

The normal range here is about 90 degrees. All one have to do is hold one's elbows against one's body, and swing one's forearms away from one's body.

‍If you think our version of a Shoulder Range of Motion Chart is what you need during your practice, we have good news for you. We prepared a template you can easily access and download. For instructions on how to do so, proceed to the section below.

If you're looking for other relevant resources, feel free to watch this video:

What is a Shoulder Range of Motion Chart?

When patients present with shoulder problems (e.g., shoulder pain, anterior shoulder instability, rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff tendonitis, etc.), healthcare professionals recommend having them undergo a shoulder exam to assess the affected shoulder and its relevant parts, such as the rotator cuff muscles, biceps tendon, glenohumeral joint, and more.

They will use a shoulder ROM chart, a normal shoulder range of motion chart, or a similar document to guide themselves during such exams and to help record patient results. Typically, a Shoulder Range of Motion Chart consists only of illustrations or images of a specific shoulder movement that a patient must do while undergoing testing. Our take on this document, however, differs.

On our Shoulder Range of Motion Chart, you can expect to see the following:

• Basic information on the patient, examination date, and your name
• Images of the movement you must ask the patient to do to test their shoulders' range of motion
• Inquiries of any presence of pain when doing the movement and the quality of the movement
• A dedicated space per movement for any additional observations/findings

How does it work?

Using our template is fairly straightforward. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Access and download the template

Access and download the printable Shoulder Range of Motion Chart by doing either of the following: 

• Clicking the “Download PDF Template” or “Download Example PDF” button 
• Search “Shoulder Range of Motion Chart” on Carepatron's template library on the app or website 

Step 2: Conduct a range of motion test

After filling out the basic essential information, such as the patient's name, examination date, and your name, you may conduct the test by asking your patient to do the movements indicated on the Shoulder Range of Motion Test template one at a time. 

Feel free to customize your template further before conducting the test or after if you would like to add more movements you'd like your patient to do, like external rotation, forward flexion, and internal rotation.

Here are three common normal shoulder ROM tests that you can conduct to assess shoulder mobility:

• Passive range of motion (PROM): During the PROM test, an examiner moves the individual’s arm in different directions. The patient relaxes during this exercise and doesn’t actively participate.

• Active range of motion (AROM): For AROM, the individual uses their own strength to move their arm in various positions.

• Active-assistive range of motion (AAROM) – During AAROM, the patient uses their own strength to move their arm partially and is then assisted by an examiner to extend it further.

Step 3: Record the results

As soon as your patient is finished with a movement, it's recommended that you write down the results of each movement. Specifically, it's best to record the following: 

• How far, in degrees, can they do the movement
• Absence or presence of pain
• Quality of the movement
• Any additional observations or findings

Step 4: Proceed with the next steps (optional)

If your patient expresses pain or their results are worrying or are indicative of an underlying problem, you must have them checked or tested to confirm the specific problem. These can include having them undergo provocation tests, an apprehension test, and imaging tests to confirm the specific problem (e.g., AC joint pathology, rotator cuff tears, etc.)

When would you use this shoulder ROM chart?

Practitioners who specialize in checking one's shoulder, such as physical therapists, orthopedic doctors/therapists, sports medicine physicians, and general physicians, may use our Shoulder Range of Motion Chart template when:

• They are checking for underlying injuries or conditions a patient may have
• The patient is about to participate in a sport or work in a profession wherein movement of shoulder muscles is heavily involved
• The patient feels the following symptoms: can't move shoulder/arm, numbness in one's shoulder/arm, severe pain in one's shoulder/arm

Benefits

Here are some benefits of using Carepatron's Shoulder Range of Motion Chart:

Quick assessment tool

Checking one's shoulder ROM is one of the quickest assessments a practitioner can do to check if there's anything the patient must be concerned about. It can be added to a routine check-up for health reasons or even during a physical examination when the patient expresses pain in the shoulder or arm. 

Gain insight into your patient's shoulder condition

The template can be used as a jumping-off point to a conversation, especially if the patient does the movement requested but feels pain, exerts too much/little effort, or can't reach the maximum extent. 

Establish baselines for comparison later

Though the examples above point toward first visits, the template can be used as a baseline document. With the information on the template, the practitioner can see the effectiveness of the treatment plan provided to the patient and adjust accordingly depending on the recovery progress.

Versatile

Our free Shoulder Range of Motion Chart was designed to be used by different professionals, not limited to specialists. Though a licensed physical therapist or occupational therapist is recommended to conduct the test, general and sports medicine physicians can also use the template during a quick check-over of their patients.