Upper extremity joint movement: comparison of two measurement devices

The Ortho Ranger is a new device available for measurement of joint motion. The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the clinical reliability of the Ortho Ranger compared to the reliability of the standard goniometer and (2) to investigate the correlation between the Ortho Ranger and the goniometer for upper extremity joint movements in healthy adults. Three measurements with each instrument were taken during three different sessions for active shoulder, elbow, and wrist movements. The within-session reliability was higher for the goniometer. The Pearson correlation coefficients suggest a strong relationship between the Ortho Ranger and the goniometer for shoulder internal and external rotation, and a poor relationship for elbow movements. The Ortho Ranger does not provide remarkable advantages in measurement compared to the goniometer.