The body was designed for motion.

Regular exercise contributes to a healthy body; therefore immobility has a negative effect. A joint that has not been moved sufficiently can begin to stiffen within 24 hours and will eventually become inflexible. With longer periods of joint immobility, the tendons and muscles can be affected as well.

Most people move and exercise their joints through the normal activities of daily living. When any joint cannot be moved in this way, the patient or nurse must move it at regular intervals to maintain muscle tone and joint mobility.

Range of motion (ROM) exercises are ones in which a nurse or patient move each joint through as full a range as is possible without causing pain. The effect of both regular exercise and immobility on major body systems are discussed in this lesson.