How PT Can Help Increase Your Range of Motionĭuring your first physical therapy visit, your therapist will conduct various assessments to determine your baseline. Other research supports the benefits of physical therapy to improve or regain range of motion in compromised joints. Better able to perform activities of daily living.Study authors encourage PT soon after surgery to recover faster and maintain physical functioning.Īnother study, published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, found recovering stroke patients who participated in a four-week range of motion exercise program experienced significant improvements over those who did not exercise, including: Multiple studies agree that a well-designed ROM exercise program, supervised by a physical therapist, can significantly improve range of motion.Ī study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology concluded that women who participated in a physical therapy-led exercise program after lymph node surgery regained full ROM much more quickly than those who did not. Physical therapists (PTs) specialize in treating movement and mobility dysfunction. Studies Find Physical Therapy Effectively Improves Range of Motion Maintain functional abilities like reaching overhead or climbing stairsĪ restricted range of motion can reduce your independence and quality of life, which may contribute to mental health issues, including depression.Maintain or improve strength and balance.When your range of motion is restricted, your body cannot operate efficiently, diminishing your independence and quality of life. A limited range of motion places undue stress on other joints and muscles, increasing the risk of injury. Muscle imbalance, poor posture, and improper body alignment reduce mobility and are often the underlying source of pain. Optimum mobility requires joints and supporting ligaments, tendons, and muscles to move comfortably within a healthy range of motion. If your range of motion is limited, the functional mobility of your body is also limited. If you are recovering from injury or surgery and cannot move limbs or joints on your own, you may benefit from PROM. PROM helps prevent contractures or muscle spasticity by gently stretching joints and muscles. Passive range of motion (PROM) – you rely solely on an outside force, like a physical therapist or continuous passive motion (CPM) machine, to move your joint through its available range of motion. AAROM helps improve strength and flexibility in the injured area. You use an active range of motion as you move independently throughout daily activities.Īctive-assistive range of motion (AAROM) – if you are recovering from surgery or an injury, your physical therapist or a machine may assist you as you move the recovering body part to protect it as you heal. Range of motion may be active, passive, or active-assistive.Īctive range of motion (AROM) – you actively use your muscles to move a body part, contracting and relaxing muscles without assistance. The study authors concluded if your range of motion is below the “established norm,” your ROM has some degree of impairment. Poor range of motion can limit your ability to perform even simple activities of daily living.Įven though the range of motion varies for each individual, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joint range of motion study helped establish reference values for the normal range of motion of the body’s five main joints: elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. Joint and muscle flexibility naturally decline as we age, but injury, disease, surgery, or inactivity may also contribute to impaired ROM. Flexibility is the ability of muscles, tendons, and connective tissue to lengthen as the joint flexes and extends. The flexibility of soft tissues around the joint affects your ROM. Your range of motion (ROM) is how far a joint can flex and extend in any direction.
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