Final answer:
Passive ROM exercises for the elbow and wrist involve flexion and extension, supination and pronation of the forearm, radial and ulnar deviation of the wrist, and flexion and extension of the fingers, all of which maintain joint flexibility and muscle health.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passive range of motion (ROM) exercises for the elbow and wrist consist of several movements that help maintain joint flexibility and muscle health. These include:
- Flexion and extension: Moving the forearm upward at the elbow (flexion) decreases the angle between the bones, while moving it downward (extension) increases the angle. Similarly, flexion of the wrist moves the hand toward the forearm, and extension moves the hand away from the forearm.
- Supination and pronation of the forearm: Supination turns the hand to a palm-forward position with the radius and ulna parallel, while pronation turns the hand backward positioning the radius over the ulna.
- Radial and ulnar deviation of the wrist: Tilts the hand to one side (radial deviation) or the other (ulnar deviation) away from the body's midline.
- Flexion and extension of the fingers: Bending the fingers towards the palm is flexion, while straightening them out is extension.
These movements are supported by various muscles in the upper limb, including the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis for flexion, and triceps brachii and anconeus for extension. The pronator teres and quadratus muscles accomplish pronation while the supinator muscle allows for supination of the forearm.