FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREENING

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS)[, and later the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), was developed to help clinicians and health care professions screen individuals for risk of injury and / or a dysfunctional or performance-limiting movement pattern.

The FMS is a tool used to identify asymmetries which result in functional movement deficiencies. The FMS aims to identify imbalances in mobility and stability during seven fundamental movement patterns. These movement patterns are designed to provide observable performance of basic locomotor, manipulative and stabilizing movements by placing an individual in extreme positions where weaknesses and imbalances become noticeable if appropriate mobility and motor control is not utilized. Once these deficiencies have been identified through the FMS, a program of corrective exercises is then developed with the goal of preventing musculoskeletal injuries.