Pain-free range of movement in the scapular plane
A universal goniometer was used to measure the
ROM in the plane of the scapula. This has been shown
to demonstrate good intra-tester reliability if consistent
landmarks are used (Hayes et al., 2001). The plane of the
scapula is defined as 301 anterior to the coronal plane.
This was calculated by aligning the axis of the
goniometer along the superior aspect of the shoulder
and moving one arm of the goniometer 301 forward
from that frontal plane whilst the other arm of the
goniometer remained in the frontal plane. The patient
was then asked to move the affected arm in that plane
through a small arc of movement short of pain, by
aligning the arm movement to a vertical line drawn up
the wall. The line on the wall was used to aid test–retest
repeatability.