Variation of Range of Joint Motion in Bengalee (Indian) Healthy Adult Subjects

The present investigation was made to find out the effect of age and sex on Range of Motion (ROM) and gradation of ROM among healthy adults. A total number of 353 subjects (180 male and 173 female) having the age range of 19-60 years were selected at random from Bengali population of different districts of West Bengal for the study. The subjects were further classified into age and sex groups. A digital goniometer was used for the study. The results showed that there was no significant difference of ROM between right and left side of the body of both sexes’ subjects. There was a significant difference of ROM among different age groups (p<0.05, p<0.001). In most of the body joint angles, a gradual decrease of ROM was observed with advancement of the age. According to the computed norms for each ROM, most of the subjects belonged to “C” grade (that is,‘average’) for both sexes. It can be concluded that gender wise difference in ROM may be attributed to the difference in activity level. Age related decrement of ROM may be related to the reduced flexibility of the body in older age and may be a helpful guide for designing different workstations. Address for correspondence: Dr. Prakash C. Dhara Ergonomics and Sports Physiology Division Department of Human Physiology with Community Health Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721102 West Bengal, India. Fax:(91)03222 –275329 Telephone:(03222)276554 / 276555 / 276557 / 276558 E-mail:[email protected] INTRODUCTION Two important biomechanical properties of the intact musculoskeletal system are joint mobility and muscle strength. Joint mobility or range of motion is important in several ways. For example, in designing a vehicle door opening, the expected population’s ability to flex the knees, hips and neck is as critical as the size of the population (Andreoni et al. 2004). Range-Of-Motion (ROM) is the natural distance and direction of movement of a joint. Limited range of motion is a relative term indicating that a specific joint or body part cannot move through its normal and full range of motion. Evaluating the range and patterns of movement is a key concern for a clinician in the diagnostic and functional assessment of patients with musculoskeletal disease. These (ROM) measures are also used to obtain a record of the degree of permanent impairment of an individual (Lowery et al. 1992; American Medical Association 1993). Currently, clinicians use all or any of visual estimation, a universal goniometer, an inclinometer or a tape measure to make these assessments. Patients are followed over a long period of time for many diseases, particularly chronic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis (Dziedzic 1998). It is important, therefore, to ensure the reliability of measurement of ROM for clinical purpose (Shrout 1998). The evidence from a systematic review for cervical spine ROM demonstrates that either these tools lack reliability or their reliability is unproven, studies purporting to assess their reliability often containing major flaws in design or analysis (Jordan 2000). Measurements of the range of motion of joints commonly are recorded in a patient’s medical record, as they are considered to be acceptable clinical data for the evaluation of physical movement impairment (Pynsent 1993). Operative intervention frequently is necessary for the treatment of fracture, dislocation, traumatic injury, or other impairment of or about a joint, and the functional outcome of the treated extremity must be evaluated critically. Goniometric method is the standard technique for measurement of joint motions in different rotations including saggital, frontal, transversal and rotational (SFTR) (Gerhardt and Rondinelli (2001). Goniometey has been described as a tool to measure angle. It gives the physician a useful method to diagnose musculoskeletal function in terms of ROM, monitor the progress of an intervention, record the data © Kamla-Raj 2012 J Life Sci, 4(2): 123-133 (2012)