Range of Motion Requirements for Upper-Limb Activities of Daily Living

Abstract

Objective: We quantified the range of motion (ROM) required for eight upper-extremity activities of daily living (ADLs) in healthy participants.

Method: Fifteen right-handed participants completed several bimanual and unilateral basic ADLs while joint kinematics were monitored using a motion capture system. Peak motions of the pelvis, trunk, shoulder, elbow, and wrist were quantified for each task.

Results: To complete all activities tested, participants needed a minimum ROM of -65°/0°/105° for humeral plane angle (horizontal abduction-adduction), 0°-108° for humeral elevation, -55°/0°/79° for humeral rotation, 0°-121° for elbow flexion, -53°/0°/13° for forearm rotation, -40°/0°/38° for wrist flexion-extension, and -28°/0°/38° for wrist ulnar-radial deviation. Peak trunk ROM was 23° lean, 32° axial rotation, and 59° flexion-extension.

Conclusion: Full upper-limb kinematics were calculated for several ADLs. This methodology can be used in future studies as a basis for developing normative databases of upper-extremity motions and evaluating pathology in populations.

Figure 1.

Shoulder angle definition. The globe coordinate system is illustrated for a sample movement of a participant reaching toward a can on a high shelf. The rotation axis of the shoulder is assumed to be the midpoint of the globe, and the elbow follows the surface of the globe (Doorenbosch et al., 2003). (A) Illustration of the humeral elevation angle. Latitudes correspond to elevation angle. When the elbow is raised to shoulder height in any plane, the humeral elevation angle is 90°. When the arm is at the side, the elevation angle is 0°. The depicted movement has an elevation of approximately 95°. (B) The humeral plane of elevation is indicated by the longitudes, viewed from the “North Pole.” The plane angle is functionally similar to horizontal adduction. When the humerus is elevated in the frontal plane (pure abduction), the plane angle is 0°. Pure shoulder flexion corresponds to humeral elevation at a plane angle of 90°, and in pure shoulder extension the plane angle is about −90°. The depicted movement has a plane of elevation of approximately 70°. (C) Movements for all joints and segments (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) are measured relative to the position displayed by the avatar, with the humerus in a neutral position by the side, elbow extended, and palm facing toward the midline.

Figure 2.

Kinematic patterns for deodorant application. (A) Key components of the deodorant task; the x-axis shows the progression of the task as a percentage of completion from start (0%) to finish (100%). (B) The average (bold line) and standard deviation (shaded region or thin line) joint angles for the deodorant application task. Joint angles for shoulder (left), elbow (middle), and wrist (right) are shown for the right (solid) and left (dashed) arms. Labels on the y-axis describe the rotation angle shown and include only the positive motion for simplicity (i.e., ulnar deviation rather than ulnar–radial deviation).