Goniometer

A goniometer is the hinged measuring instrument a clinician uses to record how far a joint moves, read in degrees against a protractor scale. It is the standard tool behind any range of motion figure in a medical record, and it turns an observation like reduced motion into a number.

Degrees are the unit the VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities uses for musculoskeletal conditions. The criteria at 38 CFR Part 4 separate rating levels for joints by how far motion is limited, so a measured figure is what the schedule can be applied to. Examination forms reflect that: the Disability Benefits Questionnaires the VA uses ask for measured range of motion rather than for a narrative description of stiffness.

The practical consequence sits in ordinary treatment records. A clinic note reading that a shoulder has limited motion leaves the severity question open, while the same note recording that motion measured to a stated number of degrees does not. A veteran can ask that measurements taken during an appointment be recorded in the note, which is a request about documentation rather than about what the clinician finds.