Location: Motion Matters Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, 170 Laurier Ave. W.
Functional Movement Screen
A screen is a series of movement-based patterns that can highlight areas of strength and dysfunction. By definition, a screen will not provide a diagnosis. This is the fundamental difference between a biomechanical diagnostic assessment (of which SFMA is one example – see above). Both the FMS and the SFMA can be performed by your accredited physiotherapist.
The FMS is a very useful tool to act as a baseline at the onset of treatment, to track progress and/or to return to sport/activity. Consider this screen before you start your season’s activities to act as a predictor of future injury.
Selective Functional Movement Assessment
The Selective Functional Movement Assessment is a movement-based diagnostic system that helps assess the quality of your movement.
It is designed to clinically assess 7 fundamental everyday actions to help identify faulty movement patterns for patients with musculoskeletal pain. For example, you will be asked to perform simple tasks such as standing on one leg, bending forwards, performing a squat, etc. The physiotherapist wills breakdown each movement to further analyse areas of weakness or asymmetry in order to find the root of the problem. The SMFA is an efficient method to help find the cause of the symptoms as well as identify areas in the body where dysfunctional patterns may occur.
The physiotherapist will focus on analysing those dysfunctional patterns and designing a treatment plan to address the main problem. The SFMA enables the physiotherapist to identify and treat regions in the body that lack mobility (range of motion), or stability (motor control). It is a great tool that allows for accurate and individualized treatment plans to help restore pain-free function and movement.