PROM is usually done when you can observe limited ROM during AROM. The goal of PROM is to obtain the end-feel of the joint to determine what is limiting full range of motion. The following table shows an overview of „normal“ and „abnormal“ kinds of end-feels:
| End Feel | Example |
| NORMAL | |
| Hard (Ligamentous) Soft tissue approximation Tissue stretch |
Elbow extension Knee flexion Ankle dorsiflexion, shoulder lateral rotation, finger extension |
| ABNORMAL | |
| Early muscle spasm
Late muscle spasm ‘Mushy’ tissue stretch |
Protective spasm following injury
Spasm resulting from instability or pain Tight muscle |
The normal end-feel for different movements in the wrist and hand is as follows:
Wrist Extension: Tissue stretch
Wrist Flexion: Tissue stretch
Radial Deviation: Bone to bone
Ulnar deviation: bone to bone
Finger flexion (all joints): Tissue stretch
Finger extension (all joints): Tissue stretch
Thumb flexion (all joints): Tissue stretch
Thumb extension (all joints): Tissue stretch
Thumb abduction (CMC joint): Tissue stretch
Thumb adduction (CMC joint): Tissue approximation
| Study | Reliability | Sn | Sp | LR+ | LR- |
| Magee et al. (2014) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
