RN Nursing · Health Assessment · Practice question
While assessing the range of motion of the patient's knee, the nurse expects the patient to be able to perform which movements?
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Circumduction, internal rotation, and external rotation
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✓
Flexion, extension, and hyperextension
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Adduction, abduction, and supination
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Flexion, pronation, and supination
Answer & explanation
Correct: Flexion, extension, and hyperextension
The knee is a hinge joint, which by definition allows movement primarily in one plane — the sagittal plane. The normal range of motion of the knee includes flexion (bending the leg toward the posterior thigh), extension (straightening the leg), and a small degree of hyperextension in some individuals. These three movements are the expected and appropriate actions to assess at the knee during a musculoskeletal examination. Circumduction, internal rotation, and external rotation are movements associated with ball-and-socket joints such as the hip and shoulder, not the hinge joint of the knee. Adduction and abduction are side-to-side movements that occur at the hip or shoulder, while supination is a forearm and wrist motion. Flexion, pronation, and supination would be applicable to the elbow and forearm, not the knee. Therefore, the correct answer is flexion, extension, and hyperextension because these movements accurately describe the functional range of motion for the knee's hinge-type joint structure.
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