Final answer:
Passive Range of Motion exercises are used by physical therapists to assess and maintain joint flexibility after an injury such as a shoulder sprain from activities like kayaking.
They include motions like abduction, adduction, and circumduction, providing insights into functionality and injury severity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Passive Range of Motion (PROM) exercises are critical in maintaining joint flexibility, especially after an injury such as a shoulder injury from kayaking. During a physical therapy session, a therapist will assess the functionality of your shoulder, focusing on movements such as abduction, adduction, circumduction, as well as flexion and extension.
Each movement helps in determining the degree of function and injury to the shoulder. For instance, moving an elbow back, using scapular muscles, assists in showing the shoulder's ability to extend.
Similarly, bending the hand up toward the shoulder and tilting the hand to the side away from the body checks for wrist stabilization and lateral movements. Important terms to understand in this context include pronation and protraction, which describe forearm and scapular motions, respectively.
Through PROM, a therapist manually moves your joint to mimic these actions without the assistance of your muscles.