by Physioworks April 2018

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) assesses a person’s ability to move through seven (7) simple functional movements. It is a very easy test for a qualified physiotherapist to administer and gives a significant amount of detail in terms of movement quality, range and control of an individual.

The movement screen came out of the USA, and was initially used to screen NFL athletes.

FMS helps health care professionals to predict the potential risk of injury by assessing how well someone can complete the seven (7) movements, but it also looks at whether movement patterns cause pain.

At Physioworks Health Group members of our sports physiotherapy team have used FMS over the last three (3) years, screening clients from elite athletes, such as AFL footballers, to everyday clients who may have issues which are impacting their lifestyle or endeavours.

APA titled Sports Physiotherapist Matthew Lynagh, who recently used the FMS to assess all players in the SANFL U18 teams, said a key outcome of the screen is that it allows the physiotherapist to work on dysfunctional areas of patient before they get injured or get pain, without them having to stop exercising or playing sport.

“In the long run, preventing injuries keeps people more active without having long extended periods on the sidelines. Even if the person has never had an injury or pain, working on someone’s movement dysfunction, can help improve their performances whether that be in sport or a general lifestyle activity, said Matthew.

At Physioworks Health Group, the FMS can also be used to screen someone at the end of their rehabilitation from injury, when they are wanting to return sport or activity, to ensure that are moving well and are ready to get back to the level of activity they were at before injury.