Functional Movement is a hot topic in today’s market of athletic training and movement specialists and physical therapy.
But what constitutes “functional” movement?
Ask a different practitioner and you’ll get a different answer. Functional movement is the absolute basics of human movement. With each joint at its healthiest, good use of the muscle tissue and nervous system, appropriate muscle use to provide stability in a given task.
I use the Functional Movement Screen(FMS). Get screened today. It is a tool used to identify imbalances which contribute to poor movement. The FMS aims to identify imbalances in mobility and stability during seven fundamental movement patterns. These movement patterns show off basic locomotor, manipulative and stabilizing movements by placing you in positions where your weaknesses and imbalances show up if you can not use your body properly.
Once these deficiencies have been identified through the screen, a program of corrective exercises and manual therapy is then developed with the goal of preventing injuries and increasing performance.
The FMS consists of seven movement patterns which require mobility and stability. The seven following movement patterns are scored from 0-3 points, with the sum creating a score ranging from 0-21 points.
- Deep Squat
- Hurdle Step
- In-line Lunge
- Active Straight-leg Raise
- Trunk Stability Push-up
- Rotary Stability
- Shoulder Mobility
Intended Population
The FMS was intended to serve as a screen to identify people with functional movement deficits that could indicate an increased risk of injury or decreased performance. The screen has been used from the very young to middle-aged individuals, elite, collegiate and professional athletes, as well as military and firefighters.