How to measure wrist range of motion

Clinical guide · Updated July 2026

To measure wrist flexion with a goniometer, support the forearm with the hand past the table edge in neutral, align the goniometer along the forearm and the hand, then bend the wrist down and read the angle. The volar/dorsal alignment technique is the most reliable. Normal wrist ROM is about 80° flexion, 70° extension, 20° radial deviation, and 30° ulnar deviation (AAOS). The steps, landmarks, and reliability evidence are below.

Normal wrist range of motion

See the full normal range of motion chart for every joint. The Goniometer app guides wrist flexion, extension, and radial/ulnar deviation with animated placement.

What you need

• A universal goniometer, digital goniometer, or a smartphone goniometer app.
• A table to support the forearm, with the hand free past the edge.
• Reference to the forearm and hand alignment: along the ulna and the fifth metacarpal (ulnar side), or along the volar/dorsal midline — the most reliable technique.

How to measure wrist flexion, step by step

1. Position the patient. Forearm pronated and supported on a table, hand free past the edge, wrist in neutral — this is the 0° starting position.
2. Choose the alignment. Use the volar/dorsal alignment for the most reliable reading: sight along the flat volar (palm) or dorsal surface of the forearm and hand.
3. Center the fulcrum. Place the goniometer axis over the wrist (at the triquetrum for ulnar alignment, or along the surface for volar/dorsal alignment).
4. Align the arms. Line the stationary arm along the forearm and the moving arm along the hand (the fifth metacarpal, or the surface midline).
5. Move to end range. Bend the wrist downward into flexion until it stops.
6. Read and record. Read the angle at end range and note the side (L/R) and technique used.

Wrist extension

Keep the same forearm-supported position and bend the wrist upward. Normal is about 70°. The volar/dorsal alignment is again the most reliable technique.

Radial deviation

Pronate the forearm with the hand flat on the table and move the hand toward the thumb side; normal is about 20°.

Ulnar deviation

From the same position, move the hand toward the little-finger side; normal is about 30°. In the app, deviation uses the phone’s roll axis to read the side-to-side angle directly.

Getting a reliable measurement

Wrist goniometry is most reliable when technique is standardized. In a multicenter study of 141 wrists measured by 32 therapists across eight hand clinics, LaStayo and Wheeler found the volar/dorsal alignment technique consistently the most reliable for passive wrist flexion and extension. Four habits keep readings repeatable:

• Use the volar/dorsal alignment for flexion and extension — it was the most reliable technique in the multicenter study.
• Support the forearm the same way every time and keep the fingers relaxed so tendon tension doesn’t limit the wrist.
• Read at a stable end range, not mid-motion, and to the whole degree.
• Use one examiner and one technique for progress tracking. Compare a patient’s wrist to their own earlier measurement, taken the same way.

Measuring wrist ROM with an iPhone

A smartphone goniometer app replaces the two-armed goniometer with the phone’s gravity-referenced motion sensor: lay the phone along the hand, set zero, and the change in tilt as the wrist bends is the joint angle. Peer-reviewed research finds smartphone measurement valid and reliable for wrist ROM, comparable to a universal goniometer — see the accuracy evidence. A 2017 study reported good reliability and concurrent validity for a smartphone goniometer app measuring active wrist motion (Pourahmadi et al.).

Frequently asked questions

References

• Norkin CC, White DJ. Measurement of Joint Motion: A Guide to Goniometry. 5th ed. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis; 2016.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Joint Motion: Method of Measuring and Recording. Chicago: AAOS. Normative range-of-motion reference values, as used throughout the Goniometer app.
• LaStayo PC, Wheeler DL. Reliability of passive wrist flexion and extension goniometric measurements: a multicenter study. Physical Therapy. 1994;74(2):162–174. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8290621
• Pourahmadi MR, Ebrahimi Takamjani I, Sarrafzadeh J, et al. Reliability and concurrent validity of a new iPhone goniometric application for measuring active wrist range of motion: a cross-sectional study in asymptomatic subjects. Journal of Anatomy. 2017;230(3):484–495. doi:10.1111/joa.12568
• Keogh JWL, Cox A, Anderson S, et al. Reliability and validity of clinically accessible smartphone applications to measure joint range of motion: A systematic review. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(5):e0215806. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215806

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Goniometer is an educational and reference tool. It is not a medical device and is not intended for diagnosis or treatment decisions.