Accident Claim Lawyers
MedicalUpdated September 2026

Range of motion

In plain English: range of motion is how far a joint or part of your spine can move, usually measured in degrees. After an injury, a reduced range of motion is one of the few objective signs a doctor or physio can put a number on.

How it's measured

A clinician asks you to move, for example turning your head, lifting your arm or bending your knee, and measures the angle with a goniometer or inclinometer. They compare it with typical values and, where possible, with your uninjured side. Some also note where pain starts, whether movement is smooth, and whether they can move the joint further than you can on your own.

Why the numbers matter for your claim

  • They show the injury. A neck that turns 40 degrees instead of the usual range is something an insurer can't wave away as purely subjective.
  • They track recovery. Repeated measurements in your physio notes show if you're improving, stuck or getting worse.
  • They feed impairment ratings. In US and Canadian systems using the AMA Guides, lost range of motion can directly produce an impairment percentage.
  • They explain job limits. Someone who can't raise their arm above shoulder height can't stack shelves or paint ceilings.

Where insurers push back

Range of motion depends partly on effort. If you're in pain or anxious about hurting yourself, you may stop early, and an examiner may record that as "submaximal effort" or inconsistency. They may also compare your movement in the test with how you moved getting on and off the couch, or in surveillance footage.

The best defence is honesty. Move as far as you safely can, tell the examiner when pain stops you, and don't hold back or push through to prove a point. Results that stay consistent across different doctors and physios over months are very hard to argue with.

Example

After a slip on ice outside a store, a woman's shoulder range of motion is recorded at every physio visit. The numbers improve for three months, then stall. That plateau, plus a scan showing a tear, supports a surgeon's view that she needs an operation.

Things to ask for

  1. Copies of any measurement charts in your physio or specialist notes.
  2. A note of your pain level during the test.
  3. A comparison with your uninjured side where relevant.

Next: maximum medical improvement · surveillance evidence · independent medical examination.

Related terms

Chronic PainChronic pain is pain that lasts beyond the normal healing time, usually defined by doctors as more than three months.ConcussionA concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a blow or jolt that makes the brain move inside the skull.CT ScanA CT (computed tomography) scan uses a series of X-rays and a computer to build cross-section images of your body.DisabilityIn an injury claim, disability means what you can no longer do because of the accident: work, drive, lift your child, sleep through the night.

General information, not legal or medical advice. Rules differ between US states, the UK and Canadian provinces, so check the law where your accident happened. How we write and check · Legal disclaimer