Posted: March 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Following up on Monday’s email, this one will have a little more info on the FMS approach to functional movement.
When doing a movement screen we are typically looking for three things:
- Is anything painful?
- Does anything have restricted function?
- Are there any left vs. right asymmetries?
A reminder from Monday’s email, if any basic movement is painful (like lifting your arm over your head with no weight) we encourage you to see a qualified clinician, such as one of the trusted physical therapists in our network.
If nothing is painful but we see restricted function and/or asymmetries, then what is the top priority to start with?
Generally speaking, asymmetries are a top priority. One thing that was hammered home to us in our studies with the Functional Movement Systems is that while you cannot really prevent injuries, they do have strong data as far as correlation to injuries:
- The strongest correlation is previous injury – if you have had an injury once before, then you are more likely to have another one in the future (even if it is at a different joint or tissue)
- The next strongest correlation is asymmetry – as an example, someone who has restricted mobility at both hips is statistically LESS likely to suffer an injury than someone with full function at one hip, and restricted function at the other
-Tony
