As an athlete, one of the best things you can do for your body is to keep it healthy and injury-free. A great way to do this is to constantly monitor your movement patterns and make sure they are as efficient as possible. This is where functional movement screening comes in.

Functional movement screening (FMS) is a tool that physical therapists and other sports medicine professionals use to assess an athlete's movement patterns. The goal of FMS is to identify any areas of inefficient movement that could lead to injury.

There are many benefits to functional movement screening, both for athletes and for the practitioners who work with them. Here are just a few:

It can help identify potential injuries before they happen

As any athlete knows, injuries can occur at the most unexpected times. A small misstep, a sudden jolt, or even simple overexertion can cause serious damage to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Unfortunately, these types of injuries often lead to long periods of recovery time and can permanently sideline even the most dedicated athletes. Functional movement screening (FMS) is a preventative measure that can help identify potential injuries before they happen. The FMS is a series of tests that evaluate an athlete's movement patterns and assesses their risk for injury. By identifying imbalances and asymmetries, the FMS can help coaches and trainers design individualized programs to reduce an athlete's risk of injury. In addition, the FMS can also be used to monitor an athlete's progress as they recover from an injury. By tracking changes in movement patterns over time, the FMS can help ensure that athletes are safely returning to their previous level of activity. Ultimately, the FMS is a valuable tool that can help keep athletes healthy and on the field.

It can help athletes correct movement patterns that are causing pain or discomfort

There are many benefits of FMS for athletes. Perhaps the most important benefit is that it can help athletes identify and correct movement patterns that are causing pain or discomfort. By correcting these movement patterns, athletes can reduce their risk of injury and improve their performance. In addition, the FMS can also be used to monitor an athlete's progress over time. This information can be used to adjust an athlete's training program as needed in order to continue achieving desired results. Overall, the FMS is a powerful tool that can be used to help athletes in a variety of ways.

It can help practitioners design more targeted and effective training programs

There are a variety of movement screens that practitioners can use, but they all share the same goal: to identify areas of dysfunction that could lead to injury. By assessing an athlete's movement patterns, practitioners can develop exercises and drills that will help improve those patterns and reduce the risk of injury. In addition, movement screens can be used to monitor an athlete's progress over time, ensuring that they are making improvements in their movement quality.

Overall, functional movement screening is a valuable tool for any practitioner working with athletes. It can help them design more effective training programs and reduce the risk of injuries.

If you are an athlete, or if you work with athletes, functional movement screening is something you should definitely consider incorporating into your routine. It could very well be the key to keeping your athletes healthy and performing at their best.