Measurements of voluntary joint range of motion of the Chinese elderly living in Beijing area by a photographic method

This paper presents voluntary range of motion (ROM) data of the Chinese elderly living in Beijing area. The data were collected by a photographic method rather than traditional goniometers. Fundamentals of the photographic method are presented along with error analysis and experiment. A total of 51 males (aged from 65.1 to 85, mean 71.2, SD 4.5) and 54 females (aged from 65 to 80.6, mean 71, SD 4.2) aged over 65 took part in the study. A total of 18 ROMs were measured. Mean values, standard deviations, coefficients of variation, and percentiles for each ROM are estimated. Comparison indicates that there are no significant differences in most ROMs between age groups of 65–74 and 75+, and between two gender groups.