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What Are The 7 Functional Movement Screen Tests?

Sep 20, 2023
Functional Movement Screen Tests in Bedford and Portsmouth, NH and its Surrounding Areas

Physiotherapists use a technique called functional movement screening to assess patients. This functional movement screening test will spot mobility and stability deficits throughout seven fundamental movement patterns. This screening test or examination is not a diagnostic tool but is intended to emphasize the person’s compensatory movement patterns. The concept of a kinetic chain describes how joints and nearby bones and soft tissues influence one another when we move. It is believed that these defects may eventually cause a breakdown in the kinetic chain, which could result in damage.

7 Functional Movement Screen Test

The following is a list of the test’s essential seven components:

Deep Squat

The final evaluation is the deep squat. During this exam, you’ll learn a little about your shoulder stability, ankle mobility, core strength, and other things. This evaluation has implications for everything that requires squatting and jumping. Stop by the gym now and start working out! used to assess the bilateral, symmetrical, and functional mobility of the hips, knees, and ankles.


Hurdle Step

This is intended to test the body’s optimal stride mechanics during stepping. It calls for maximum hip extension through the closed-kinetic chain while maintaining stance leg stability at the ankle, knee, and hip. Additionally, step-leg open-kinetic chain dorsiflexion of the ankle, knee, and hip is required. Moreover, it also requires a good balance because the test demands dynamic stability.


In-Line Lunge

The inline lunge test reveals how well a person can withstand deceleration, or slowing down and lowering their body. Therefore, hobbies like gardening and getting down on the ground to play with kids as well as sports like tennis and basketball require this proficiency. The boy’s trunk and extremities are put to the test by having to resist rotation and maintain appropriate alignment while retaining the lower extremity in a scissored position. In addition to apparent closed kinetic chain hip abduction, ankle dorsiflexion, and rectus femoris flexibility, it necessitates stance-leg stability of the ankle, knee, and hip.


Active Straight-Leg Raise

Accesses the flexibility of the gastroc-soleus tendon in the active hamstring while keeping the pelvis steady and the opposing leg functionally extended. Functional hamstring flexibility is required to carry out or execute the ASLR test. During this functional movement screening test in addition to other things, we can assess hamstring flexibility. In a fully supported single-leg stance, we may observe how well or aggressively someone performs.


While one leg moves and the other remains still, we can observe how their hips and core function. The results of this test have important ramifications for individuals who enjoy riding, walking, or running. Since all activities essentially involve just one leg, effective mobility depends on the proper coordination of our core and hips.


Trunk Stability Push-up

This is another exercise assessment. We see the person’s or individual’s relative upper body strength. However, we also see how well one’s core helps create efficient movement or if it makes an energy leak. Again, some implications for this are that a solid and efficient TSPU will usually mean minimal upper body movement during the run, and the person can keep a better posture.


Interested in making any big power moves in the gym? Doing Olympic lifts, kettlebell swings, deadlifts or squats will require you to demonstrate a solid TSPU. A solid TSPU for these exercises shows that you can control your core and create the necessary tension.


Rotary Stability

Demands asymmetric trunk stability as the upper and lower extremities move in asymmetric ways in both the sagittal and the transverse (horizontal) planes. To perform a number of functional tasks, the trunk stabilizers must asymmetrically transfer force from the lower extremities to the upper extremities and vice versa. Running, swimming, and carrying heavy objects are examples of this energy transmission.


The rotational stability test and the TSPU evaluation are comparable. When moving both the upper and lower bodies, the “Ying and yang” of fluidity and stability in the movement are again shown. The rotary stability test affects any exercise that involves simultaneous upper- and lower-body motion.


Shoulder Mobility

Combines or relates internal rotation with adduction and external rotation with abduction to measure the range of motion in both shoulders. Additionally, the thoracic spine and scapula must be mobile. We can see how someone’s upper body moves during the evaluation of the shoulders. Does the upper body move more fluidly on one side than the other? Are there numerous effects on shoulder mobility? To perform any stroke, shoulder mobility is essential. Like to exercise?


In the functional movement screening tests, running more effectively and maintaining proper posture both benefit from shoulder mobility. In addition, good shoulder mobility is crucial for effective weightlifting. It affects practically all pressing and pulling motions and some activities like squats.

Sum Up

The first article on functional movement exercises proclaimed the advantages of this kind of fitness training. Planning a vacation is similar to increasing your fitness. Most people are pretty adept at recognizing where this point is or where they want it to be, regardless of their goals.


Which may include fat loss, improved athletic performance, enhanced strength, or general well-being. They struggle, though, to identify their starting point. The functional movement screen uses in this situation to help determine where they are beginning from.


Through atx-fit, you can perform functional movement and go through the screening test. Their professional staff and physiotherapist provide physical therapy and stretching to the potential clients efficiently.

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