Patent ID: 8282579

Claim:
A method for measuring a range of motion of a patient, comprising the steps of: providing a goniometer having a first arm that has a length and an end, wherein said end of said first arm has a top edge, a bottom edge, and a side edge that extends from said top edge to said bottom edge, wherein said goniometer has a second arm that is pivotally attached to said first arm, wherein said second arm has a length and an end, wherein said end of said second arm has a top edge, a bottom edge, and a side edge that extends from said top edge to said bottom edge, wherein said ends of said first arm and said second arm are located remote from a location of pivoting attachment between said first arm and said second arm; providing a level member attached to and carried by said first arm; orienting the patient in a predetermined repeatable reference orientation; orienting said first arm based on said level member carried by said first arm, said level member indicating the orientation of said first arm with respect to the direction of gravity; orienting said second arm based on the orientation of a body portion of the patient; and reading a scale of said goniometer to ascertain the angular orientation between said first arm and said second arm to thus ascertain the range of motion; wherein the length of the first arm is oriented perpendicular to the direction of gravity in said step of orienting the first arm.