A PROSPECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF JOINT MOTION IN HEALTHY ADULT SUBJECTS

Early detection of restriction of joint motions in disease states requires that the normal range of joint motions which is related to factors such as age, sex and geographic region be known. There is no data in the literature on the range of joint motions in healthy Iranian adults. We studied joint motions in 100 healthy volunteer subjects, 49 men and 51 women, from 19 to 58 years of age. The joint mobility was examined in saggital, frontal, transversal and rotating levels (SFTR). The normal range of motion of all peripheral and axial joints was examined using the standard goniometric technique. Except for elbow flexion, shoulder adduction and inward rotation and inward and outward rotation of hip, the range of joint motions in women was significantly less than men. There was an inverse relationship between joint motion indices and age.