The FMS is a simple tool that is comprised of seven test which categorize and rank functional movement patterns. Theses movement patterns are specific to human growth and development and are extremely important in every day life because they are fundamental to complex activities. This screen attempts to pinpoint a weak area in these movement patterns which will then allow for improved exercise prescription and performance. This can be the first line of defense in injury prevention.
This screen is the starting point for a system of evaluation and exercise prescription that attempts to improve communication and collaboration between the sports medicine and exercise science professions. The common goal is to create an objective assessment in order to improve human functional movement.
Current literature in both rehabilitation and sports performance has an extreme lack of information with respect to qualitative as opposed to quantitative data regarding functional movement.
Quantitative data is easy to collect and is popular with entry-level research whereas qualitative data is more involved and presents greater difficulty at the research level. The FMS is an attempt to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of qualitative data collection with respect to human functional movement. By doing this, we are identifying and tracking major limitations and right-left asymmetries with respect to fundamental human movement patterns. These major movement limitations and asymmetries can cause compensatory movement patterns which create weak links in the normal movements. These weak links are what the system tries to identify and ultimately correct. Hopefully, this will lead to a decrease in the chronic non-contact injuries that plague today's common folks an athletes.
The FMS is made up of seven tests that look at fundamental movements. We use the word fundamental because these movements are not simply the foundation for athletic movements, they are the foundation for human movement. These movements relate closely to the movements infants and toddlers use to train themselves to move, turn, twist, walk, climb, crawl and reach. The Functional Movement Screen is simply a way to demonstrate how athletes who have elite strength, power, speed, agility, and sport skills may have fundamental flaws that do not show up on a stat sheet. These types of limitations lead to poor efficiency, potential for injury and decreased performance.
The Functional Movement Screening is made up of these seven movements:
