title: Defining functional shoulder range of motion for activities of daily living.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The range of motion (ROM) in the wrist and elbow required for daily activities has been reported to be less than the normal anatomic ROM. This functional ROM has not been defined for the shoulder. Many shoulder outcome assessment tools use specific functional tasks of daily living to score functional results of treatment. This study quantified the total shoulder ROM required to perform the functional tasks of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon (ASES), Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and University of Pennsylvania (U-Penn) Shoulder Score (PSS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The FASTRAK electromagnetic tracking system (Colchester, VT, USA) was used to test 40 shoulders in 20 volunteers with no shoulder pathology found on physical examination. Three sensors were used: 1 each on the T3 spinous process, the scapular spine, and the arm over the distal humerus. Subjects performed each functional task of the ASES, SST, and PSS while flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, external rotation, and internal rotation were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average shoulder motions required to perform the 10 functional tasks were flexion, 121° ± 6.7°; extension, 46° ± 5.3°; abduction, 128° ± 7.9°; cross-body adduction, 116° ± 9.1°; external rotation with the arm 90° abducted, 59° ± 10°; and internal rotation with the arm at the side, 102° ± 7.7°.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although attaining full motion is a reasonable goal of all shoulder treatment, our results indicate that less ROM is required to perform the functional tasks used in common outcome tools.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: Surena
authors: S
authors: Namdari
authors: Gautam
authors: G
authors: Yagnik
authors: D David
authors: DD
authors: Ebaugh
authors: Sameer
authors: S
authors: Nagda
authors: Matthew L
authors: ML
authors: Ramsey
authors: Gerald R
authors: GR
authors: Williams
authors: Samir
authors: S
authors: Mehta
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000502:physiology*