Marcus Rickert, Alexander Bürger, Christian M. Günther and Christoph U. Schulz
This study analysed range of active supination and pronation bilaterally in 752 healthy white adults of both sexes. Range of supination was higher than pronation. Range of forearm rotation was comparable between both sides, but it was higher in women than in men and inversely correlated with age. In contrast with women, where range started to decrease during the fifth decade of life, whereas in men it was the seventh decade. No influence was observed with respect to hand dominance or constitutional variations. Several patients with a major limitation of pronation considered themselves healthy, but only 1 patient with limited supination did so.
This study highlights the importance of restoring deficits of supination before pronation and that contralateral side serves for clinical comparison independent from age, sex, hand dominance, or constitutional variances.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2008, 17 (2),