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Bedside procedures

How to do range of motion exercises

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Range of motion keeps joints from stiffening in patients who move little.

Step by step

  1. Explain

    Encourage the patient to help if they can. [1]

  2. Support

    Hold above and below the joint. [1]

  3. Move slowly

    Each joint through its normal movements. [1]

  4. Stop at resistance

    Never force or cause pain. [1]

  5. Repeat

    A few times per joint, as ordered. [1]

  6. Record

    Range and tolerance. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in Making Synapses

In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

Making Synapses cases that train this skill

45 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. Open RN, Nursing Fundamentals 2e (CC BY 4.0)
  2. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  3. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.