Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Totally OT, but need a bit of help

Hi everyone,

Is anyone out there a physical therapist or an RN or MD with training in orthopedics?

I'm trying to figure out how to measure a flexion contracture and am not having much luck. I found all sorts of stuff about using a goniometer to measure flexion and extension (of say, the knee) but can't find anything that explains explicitly how to determine the degree of a contracture.

Is it just greatest extension possible minus greatest extension measured in the patient? So 180 - measured angle? But normal extension can be less than 180 degrees, and so I'm confusing myself.

Assistance would be greatly appreciated; PM me if you want.

Thanks.

Val

I'm an OT and have to do this stuff all the time. What joint are you trying to measure?