Which term describes the final stop of joint motion before tissue stress occurs?

Which term describes the final stop of joint motion before tissue stress occurs?

• A. End play
• B. Accessory joint movements
• C. Joint play
• D. Lumbarization

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is identifying the boundary of passive joint motion before tissues start to be stressed. Joints have a physiologic range of motion plus small, passive motions within the joint capsule called joint play (the accessory movements). The final boundary of that joint play, where the surfaces and ligaments come to a limit and further movement would stress tissues, is known as end play. You can feel this as a distinct barrier when assessing a joint with gentle glide or distraction before pushing into tissue resistance. End feel describes the quality of resistance at the end of ROM, but the term that specifically denotes the last stop of joint play before tissue stress is end play. Lumbarization is unrelated anatomically, so it isn’t the correct term here.

The idea being tested is identifying the boundary of passive joint motion before tissues start to be stressed. Joints have a physiologic range of motion plus small, passive motions within the joint capsule called joint play (the accessory movements). The final boundary of that joint play, where the surfaces and ligaments come to a limit and further movement would stress tissues, is known as end play. You can feel this as a distinct barrier when assessing a joint with gentle glide or distraction before pushing into tissue resistance. End feel describes the quality of resistance at the end of ROM, but the term that specifically denotes the last stop of joint play before tissue stress is end play. Lumbarization is unrelated anatomically, so it isn’t the correct term here.