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Hip and thigh

What it is

Your hip is the ball-and-socket joint where your leg meets your body; VA rates how far you can bring your knee toward your chest, swing your leg out and back, cross your legs, and turn your foot out.

Normal movement (what VA counts as normal)

  • Flexion (knee toward chest)0 to 125°
  • Extension (leg back)0 to 30°
  • Abduction (leg out to side)0 to 45°
  • Adduction (leg across)0 to 25°
  • External rotation0 to 60°
  • Internal rotation0 to 40°

VA's code numbers for this: 5250, 5251, 5252, 5253, 5254, 5255, 5054

What the examiner will do

  • The examiner asks how and when the problem started, what treatment you have had, and how it affects work and daily life.
  • They ask about flare-ups: how often, how long, what sets them off, and what you cannot do during one.
  • They measure how far you can move the joint yourself (active motion) with a goniometer. They should note where pain begins.
  • They move the joint for you (passive motion). They test it with weight on it and without weight on it. They compare it to your other side if that side is healthy. (Correia v. McDonald, 2016; 38 CFR 4.59.)
  • They have you repeat each motion at least 3 times, then measure again (repetitive-use testing).
  • They check strength, muscle loss (atrophy), tenderness, and whether the joint is stuck (ankylosis).
  • They look at X-rays or other imaging, or order them.
  • They ask about braces, canes, or other devices and how often you use them.
  • Questions about leg-length difference, hip replacement, and use of a cane or walker.

The examiner fills out a form called a DBQ. You can read it ahead of time: Hip and Thigh Conditions DBQ (updated 2024-08-05) (opens VA's site).

The rating levels, in plain words

VA rates most joints by how far they move. The less you can move, the higher the level.

Flexion

  • Up to 45°

    10%

    Can you raise your thigh toward your chest only to about 45 degrees? That is 10%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5252

  • Up to 30°

    20%

    Only to about 30 degrees: 20%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5252

  • Up to 20°

    30%

    Only to about 20 degrees: 30%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5252

  • Up to 10°

    40%

    Only to about 10 degrees: 40%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5252

Extension

  • Up to 5°

    10%

    Can move the leg back only 5 degrees: 10%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5251

Adduction

  • 10%

    Cannot cross your legs: 10%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5253

Rotation

  • Up to 15°

    10%

    Cannot turn your foot out (toe-out) more than 15 degrees on that leg: 10%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5253

Abduction

  • Up to 10°

    20%

    Cannot swing the leg out to the side past 10 degrees: 20%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5253

Ankylosis

  • 60%

    Hip fused at 20-40 degrees bent (favorable): 60%. Intermediate: 70%. Extremely unfavorable, foot cannot reach the ground, crutches needed: 90%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5250

Flail hip

  • 80%

    Hip joint is loose and flops (flail joint): 80%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5254

Painful motion

  • 10%

    Near-normal but painful motion from injury or arthritis: at least 10%.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.59; DC 5003

Measured at home? Check which level your number falls in.

Measure it at home

With a helper and a cheap tool. Your home numbers help you describe your bad days honestly at the exam.

The tool to get

  • Best: a clear plastic goniometer (say GO-nee-OM-eh-ter). It looks like a protractor with two long arms joined by a pin. A 12-inch, 360-degree one costs about $5 to $10 online or at a medical supply store. This is the same kind of tool most examiners use.

  • Free: a phone goniometer or inclinometer (angle-measuring) app. Many are free. Tape or hold the phone flat along the body part, set it to zero at the start, then move.

  • No money and no phone: print a paper protractor (half circle, 0 to 180 degrees) on stiff paper. Tape two straws or paper strips to the center with a brad so they swing. Lay it against the joint.

  • A pen and the log sheet below. A second person (spouse, adult child, friend) to hold the tool, because you cannot measure yourself well.

No tool yet? Print our paper protractor below.

Step by step, with a helper

  1. 1. Flexion

    How to stand or lie
    Lie on your back on a firm surface. Bend the knee and bring it toward your chest. Keep the other leg flat.
    Where the tool goes
    Pin on the bony bump at the outside of the hip. Fixed arm runs along the side of your body toward the armpit. Moving arm runs along the outside of the thigh toward the outside of the knee.
    Who holds what
    Helper reads at 'pain' and at stop and watches that your low back does not curl up (that adds fake degrees).

  2. 2. Abduction (leg out)

    How to stand or lie
    Lie on your back, legs straight.
    Where the tool goes
    Pin on the front hip bone of the leg being tested. Fixed arm points to the other front hip bone (straight across the hips). Moving arm points down the thigh to the middle of the kneecap. Read how many degrees the leg moves out from the start.
    Who holds what
    Helper keeps your pelvis from tipping and reads the number.

  3. 3. Cross legs and toe-out (no tool needed)

    How to stand or lie
    Sit in a chair. Try to cross the bad leg over the other knee. Then lie on your back and let the foot turn out.
    Where the tool goes
    For toe-out, a goniometer pin at the heel, fixed arm straight up, moving arm along the foot. 15 degrees is a small turn.
    Who holds what
    Helper notes yes/no for crossing legs and reads toe-out.

Stop at the first real pain. Never force a joint to get a number. Stand close for balance during back and hip tests.

Check your number

1. Which motion did you measure?

Type the number where you had to stop.

degrees

Type your number above to see where it falls.

This is only to help you understand. The VA examiner measures and the VA decides.

The levels for flexion:

  • 0° to 10°40%
  • 11° to 20°30%
  • 21° to 30°20%
  • 31° to 45°10%

If your number is close to the next level, VA may give the higher one (38 CFR 4.7).

Your log: what to write each time

  1. DateExample: 10/12
  2. TimeExample: 7 pm
  3. Good day or flare-up day?Example: Flare-up day
  4. Body part and side (R/L)Example: Right hip
  5. MotionExample: Lift knee toward chest
  6. Degrees where pain STARTSExample: 70
  7. Degrees where you had to STOPExample: 90
  8. After 3 tries: degrees where you stopExample: 80
  9. Pain 0-10Example: 7
  10. Medicine taken today (what and when)Example: Ibuprofen 8 am
  11. Who measuredExample: Spouse
  12. Notes (clicking, giving way, swelling)Example: Hurt more after the 3rd try

Write it down (one line per try):

Measure on a normal day and again on a bad day. Do it 2 or 3 times over a few weeks. Bring the sheet to the exam.

Tap Print this page to get a blank log sheet and your exam-day checklist on paper.

Printable paper protractor

01801516530150451356012075105909010575120601354515030165151800Center: push a brad through this dot
  • Print at 100% scale; check the 90° line with a square corner (like the corner of a sheet of paper).
  • Glue it to stiff paper or a cereal box. Push a brad through the center dot.
  • Tape two paper strips or straws to the brad so they swing. One stays on the body part that doesn't move. The other follows the moving part.
  • The top numbers count from the left. The small numbers count from the right. Use whichever side starts at 0.

This is only to help you understand. The VA examiner measures and the VA decides.

Exam-day checklist

Tick each one off. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.

Tell the examiner

Flare-ups

A flare-up is a time when your joint gets much worse for a while. The examiner must ask about your flare-ups and estimate, in degrees, how much motion you lose during them, even if your exam is on a good day (Sharp v. Shulkin, 2017). They can only skip this if they explain why after getting your information. Be ready to say: how often (for example, 2 times a week), how long each lasts (for example, 1 to 2 days), what triggers it, and exactly what you cannot do (for example, 'I can't lift my arm to comb my hair'). If you measured at home on a flare-up day, show that number.

Repeated use

The examiner will have you do each motion at least 3 times and then measure again. Tell them if pain, weakness, tiredness, or poor control gets worse with each try. The form also asks about repeated use over time, like at the end of a workday. Pain alone does not raise a rating; pain that actually limits how far, how strong, or how long you can move does (Mitchell v. Shinseki, 2011; DeLuca v. Brown, 1995; 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45).

Honest exam rules

  • Move each joint until pain starts. Say 'pain starts here' out loud. Stop when pain or stiffness stops you. Do not push through sharp pain to look tough. Do not stop before pain or stiffness really stops you, either. The examiner writes down both points.
  • Give your real, full effort on strength tests. The goal is an exam that shows how you truly are.
  • Describe a typical day AND your worst days. Bad days count, but say they are bad days and how often they happen.
  • Take your medicine the way you normally do. Do not skip it, and do not take extra just for the exam. Tell the examiner what you took and when, and how you are when it wears off. (Court decisions Jones v. Shinseki (2012) and Ingram v. Collins (2025) say VA should not lower a joint rating because medicine helps, when the rating rules do not mention medicine. VA tried to change this by rule in February 2026 and took the change back on February 27, 2026.)
  • Wear or bring any brace, cane, crutches, or walker you normally use. Bring the prescription or a record showing a provider ordered it.
  • Bring a one-page list: your diagnoses, surgeries, treatments tried, medicines, how often you have flare-ups, your home measurement log, and what you can no longer do at work and at home.
  • If you do not know or do not remember, say so. Do not guess.
  • Fraud warning: knowingly giving VA false information is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. 1001) and can cost you all VA benefits (38 U.S.C. 6103). Honest, complete reporting is all you need.

Common mistakes

  • Pushing through pain so the examiner only writes down your end point. Painful motion is a key factor, and the exam should record where pain starts.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.59; Burton v. Shinseki, 25 Vet. App. 1 (2011); Mitchell v. Shinseki, 25 Vet. App. 32 (2011)

  • Saying 'I'm fine' or only describing a good day. Flare-ups that are not described cannot be estimated.

    Where this comes from: Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017); DBQ flare-up section

  • An exam that skipped passive motion, weight-bearing testing, or the opposite joint. That exam may be inadequate; you or your representative can point this out.

    Where this comes from: Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016)

  • Not asking for at least the minimum rating when the joint is actually painful, unstable, or out of line from an old injury.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.59; Petitti v. McDonald, 27 Vet. App. 415 (2015)

  • Not asking for separate ratings for different hip motions. Flexion (5252), extension (5251), and abduction/adduction/rotation (5253) are different codes; VA can assign more than one when they cover different losses, but will not pay twice for the same problem.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.71a DCs 5251-5253; 38 CFR 4.14 (verify current M21-1 guidance)

  • Letting the low back curl during the flexion test, which makes the hip look better than it is.

    Where this comes from: Hip DBQ; standard goniometry

Questions to ask together

A spouse, grown child or friend can read these out loud. Talk about each one before the exam, so nothing gets left out.

  1. Can you put on your socks and tie your shoes on that side?
  2. Can you cross your legs?
  3. Can you get in and out of the car without lifting your leg with your hands?
  4. How far can you walk before your hip makes you stop?
  5. Can you climb a flight of stairs leading with that leg?

Sources

Checked against VA's rules on October 30, 2026.

Helping The Brave doesn't file or prepare claims. This guide is free education, not medical or legal advice. The VA examiner measures and VA decides your rating.