How to Evaluate the Active Range of Motion in the Knee & Hip

After an injury, learning how to evaluate your active range of movement -- the range at which you can move your joints unassisted by adjoining muscles or a partner -- can gauge your healing progress. Monitoring the active range of motion in your knee and hip joints using a goniometer, a simple device used to measure angled ranges, is an easy way to measure knee and hip elasticity at home.

Things You'll Need

  • Goniometer
  • Partner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place your goniometer's center pivot at the side of the joint fulcrum of one of your knees. Align the goniometer's fixed arm along the side of your thigh, with the movable arm along your calf. While holding on to a partner's shoulder, bend your calf upward as far as it will bend, then line up the movable arm with the angle at which you've moved your calf. Remove the goniometer from the side of your leg, and observe the angle at which you've bent your leg on the scale near the pivot point. Write down this number.

      Repeat on your other knee and record the angle measurement.

    • 2

      Lie on a flat surface and place the goniometer's pivot point on top of one of your hip joints, along the side of your body. Put the stationary arm along your side, with the movable arm along your thigh. Bend your thigh as far as possible into your chest, aligning the movable arm of the goniometer to its furthest reach. Remove the goniometer from your hip and record the angle measurement.

      Replace the goniometer's pivot point to your hip joint, but this time with the stationary arm along your stomach with the movable arm pointed to your side. Pull your knee to your chest, then move your knee outward as far as possible toward the floor. Align the movable arm of the goniometer to the angle at which you can reach your knee toward the ground. Remove the goniometer from your hip and read the measurement. Write this number down.

      Repeat on your other hip.

    • 3

      Continue to monitor your active range of motion to know when improvement--or retrogression--is exhibited in your measurements. Physical therapy and exercise regimens can improve your range of motion (see the second Resources link), but a physician or chiropractor can best prescribe exercises and treatments specific to your age and severity of injury.