Functional Movement Screen

FMS and the SMFA

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and the Selective Movement Functional Assessment (SFMA) are two tools that are used to help identify dysfunctional movement patterns.

The Functional Movement Screen helps us look at overall movement vs movement at a single joint such as the shoulder or knee. The FMS is made up of seven different movement patterns that include:

1. Overhead Squat
2. Hurdle Step
3. Lunge
4. SLR
5. Shoulder Range of Motion
6. Rotational Stability
7. Prone to Plank

The FMS uses a three-point scoring system to help produce an overall picture of how your body moves. The physical therapist is looking both at overall score and left to right side difference in score as well. Physical therapy clients often present with a specific pain or area of the body that is bothersome. In this case the FMS could be incorporated in the treatment plan once the initial pain has been addressed and function is improving. It is a way to look at the whole body to ensure that there are no residual compensations that need to be addressed for full return to your desired activity.

The Selective Movement Functional Assessment is a tool that may be utilized by the physical therapist at the start of a physical therapy evaluation. This Assessment is used to identify any regional interdependence. Did you ever think that an ankle sprain could trigger low back pain? Our bodies love to perform at the level of our expectations. Many times these expectations are met through compensation of other body parts. These compensations can lead to injuries up or down the chain of our body. The SFMA is an assessment that starts at the movement of our head upon our neck and continues to look at movement all the way down to our ankles. As an example, stand and look as far behind you as you can, then return to your starting position. What did you notice? How far your neck turned? Did you notice how far your knee and ankle rotated? Unless you currently have pain in those joints, probably not. Now try it again and see if you notice your ankle movement this time. Each of the SFMA movements are scored by functional or non-functional, and painful or non-painful. The nonfunctional movements are then further broken down to assess if the dysfunction is caused by a mobility dysfunction otherwise thought of as stiffness, or if it is caused by a stability dysfunction otherwise thought of as your body’s ability to control movement through a range.

Both the FMS and SFMA tools can be used throughout the course of treatment to help evaluate improvement.

Axis Sports Medicine has physical therapists certified in both FMS and SFMA in Summit and Eagle Counties.