Normal Shoulder Range of Motion
A healthy capsule allows full, symmetric, pain-free shoulder movement.
- 180°: Active abduction (Full overhead reach without pain.)
- 180°: Passive abduction (Examiner-assisted motion matches active motion.)
- 90°: External rotation (Full outward rotation with elbow at side.)
- 0%: Capsular pattern match (No restriction pattern is detected yet.)
What a goniometer measures
A goniometer tracks the angle between two moving body segments.
Active versus passive testing
Active motion relies on patient effort; passive motion uses examiner force.
A gap between active and passive readings often signals pain, not stiffness.
Why a baseline matters
Baseline angles give clinicians a reference for tracking future stiffness.
Mild Restriction — Early Adhesive Capsulitis
Synovial inflammation starts narrowing the shoulder's outer range.
- 153°: Active abduction (Overhead reach begins to feel guarded.)
- 172°: Passive abduction (Passive range still greatly exceeds active range.)
- 72°: External rotation (Outward rotation is mildly but noticeably reduced.)
- 30%: Capsular pattern match (Pattern is only beginning to take shape.)
Synovitis phase begins
Inflamed synovium thickens and irritates the joint capsule lining.
Pain-guarded active motion
Patients stop short of full range to avoid a sharp pinch.
A widening active-passive gap
Passive range still nearly matches normal, unlike true stiffness.
Moderate Restriction — Capsule Thickening
Fibrotic thickening now blocks both active and passive motion.
- 108°: Active abduction (Reaching shoulder height becomes clearly difficult.)
- 137°: Passive abduction (Examiner assistance yields noticeably less bonus range.)
- 50°: External rotation (Rotation loss now outpaces the abduction loss.)
- 60%: Capsular pattern match (The classic capsular restriction ratio is emerging.)
Fibrosis replaces inflammation
Collagen deposits stiffen the capsule around the humeral head.
External rotation drops fastest
The anterior capsule contracts first, limiting rotation most severely.
Passive range starts converging
The gap between active and passive readings keeps shrinking.
Severe Restriction — True Capsular End-Feel
Passive range is now restricted almost as much as active range.
- 63°: Active abduction (Overhead reach is largely lost to stiffness.)
- 81°: Passive abduction (Examiner force adds only a small residual arc.)
- 27°: External rotation (Rotation is severely capped by the tight capsule.)
- 85%: Capsular pattern match (The hallmark capsular end-feel is now unmistakable.)
A hard, capsular end-feel
The joint stops abruptly, not softly, at its restricted limit.
Active no longer explains it
Pain alone cannot explain a passive range this limited.
Functional impact grows
Reaching overhead or behind the back becomes very difficult.
Goniometer Measurement Complete
Final readings confirm the classic frozen-shoulder capsular pattern.
- 63°: Active abduction (Recorded angle matches the prior clinic visit.)
- 69°: Passive abduction (Passive range has nearly converged with active range.)
- 27°: External rotation (Most-restricted motion, as capsular pattern predicts.)
- 95%: Capsular pattern match (Measurement confirms the diagnosis with high confidence.)
Reading the capsular pattern
External rotation loss exceeds abduction loss in classic frozen shoulder.
Documenting for the chart
Both active and passive angles are recorded at every visit.
Guiding the treatment plan
Confirmed angles steer physical therapy and injection decisions.
Serial goniometer readings are the simplest way to track recovery over months.