Functional Reach Test
What It Measures
The Functional Reach Test asks a simple question with a practical answer: how far forward can a person reach before they have to step? That distance is a measure of the margin of stability — how much a person can shift their weight and still stay in control.
A yardstick is mounted on the wall at shoulder height. The person stands beside it, raises the nearer arm to shoulder level with a closed fist, and the starting knuckle position is recorded. They then reach as far forward as they can without stepping or touching the wall, and the difference is the score in inches. Three trials are averaged. Reaching less than 6 inches is associated with substantially higher fall risk.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The protocol is reproduced without restriction across clinical resources. Equipment is a yardstick, tape, and a level wall.
Learn More: Two things affect whether a score means anything. Measure from the same landmark every time — normative data uses the third metacarpal head, and measuring from the fingertips adds a couple of inches. And keep footwear consistent between visits. A Modified Functional Reach Test exists for people who cannot stand: performed seated with hips, knees, and ankles at 90 degrees, it adds lateral reach in both directions and produces different normative values, so seated and standing scores are not comparable.
