RANGE OF MUSCLE WORK

Kinesiology

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

SCHOOL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY
Kind Edward Medical University
 RANGE
Range of muscle work:
The full
range in which a muscle work refers
to the muscle changing from a
position of full stretch and contracting
to a position of maximal shortening.
The full range is divided into parts:
 Outer Range
 Inner Range
 Middle Range

Outer range:
Is from a position where the muscle
is on full stretch to a position half way though
the full range of motion.

Inner range:
Is from a position halfway through the full range to a
position where the muscle is fully shortened.

Middle range:
Is the portion of the full range
between the mid-point of the outer range
and the midpoint of the inner range.
 Quadriceps
Large muscle in front of the thigh, the action of which extends
the leg or bends the hip joint
It includes:

 Rectus femoris
 Vastus lateralis
 Vastus medialis
 Vastus intermedius

Range of Quadriceps Muscle work

As this muscle group passes so close to the knee joint and attaches
just below it, it can become ‘switched off’ if there is pain or swelling in
the area.

Hip muscles can kick in more and try to help out, and tightness may
develop to prevent instability. It takes a careful assessment to
identify the weakness, as sometimes it is only in part of the
movement range that the weakness is noticed.

For example, patients with patella-femoral pain often identify stair

climbing as their painful activity, and this pain from the cartilage or the
joint can switch off the quadriceps muscles in the middle bending
range, which we use for stair climbing. However, when the knee is fully
straight, the muscle may work pretty well.

In Physiotherapy
 The quadriceps muscles are often targeted in physiotherapy
exercises and it is important that they are at full strength after total
knee replacement

ACL repair and if the patient suffers with patella-femoral pain

or problems. If there is a weakness in this muscle group, then
problems can be seen with pain, instability or problem with higher-
level functions such as running and stair climbing or jumping.

Hamstrings
Any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to
flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh .

These are:

 Semimembranosus
 Semitendinosus
 Biceps Femoris
 Range of Hamstring Muscle Work
Hamstrings cross over both the hip and knee joints they can
act on the hip or the knee.

The hamstrings flex the knee and also support the pelvis on the
femur in the standing position, therefore resisting forward
flexion of the trunk.

Clinically you normally see 70 to 80 degrees of hip flexion in

an adult when the knee is kept straight (straight leg raise).
Children have closer to 90 degrees.

Our postural habits also contribute to their tightness. In

our sedentary culture we do a lot of sitting and standing.

Sitting maintains our gluteal muscles in a lengthened

state causing them to become weak.

We then must rely more on our hamstrings when standing.

When standing for long periods we shift our hips forward also
disengaging our glutes and our hamstrings must work harder.