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Screens and Tests

Whether you're being treated by a mainstream medical practitioner, a body worker, or being trained by physical conditioner, the most efficient way of preventing injury and immediately boosting performance, is to first identify and work on the most influential weaknesses. Naturally this whole process is far quicker and effective when underlying vitality is maximized.

Functional Movement Screens are used in the NFL to pick up asymmetries. Asymmetrical movement is known to be the number one predictor of injury and potential development in NFL players.

Posture Screens
  • Posture screens involving static visual assessment [Article: 1, 2] (anterior, posterior and sagittal views) with specific palpation, and various isolated movements (e.g. forward flexion of the spine with hip palpation) are used by physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and sports massage therapists in detecting patent anatomical structural/functional irregularities.
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    (Image: Common mal-alignment profiles; Kent Health Systems).
  • Using grid lines, weighted vertical plumb lines and photography enables the practitioner to keep a more accurate record of progress and makes it easier to spot irregularities (suppliers).
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  • Private MRI scans:
  • Vista Diagnostics.
  • Prescan.
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  • Static Postural Assessment Mistakes: Pt.1 , Pt.2 , Pt.3.
Active and Passive Movement Tests
  • Active Movement - The client is asked to move areas of interest, mostly in order to assess range of motion (ROM), or the inception of pain. Pain induced by resisting active movement can be used to distinguish between myofascial and ligamentous damage.
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  • Passive Movement - The practitioner induces the same movement using his/her own proprioceptive capacity, to evaluate the area with greater specificity.
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  • Upper Extremities Examination » Pt. 1, Pt. 2.
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  • Abdominal Examination » Pt. 1, Pt. 2.
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  • Lower Extremities Examination » Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3.
Orthopaedic Tests
Body Fat Assessment
  • Pod
  • Skinfold Test
  • This is the most cost effective yet accurate method of body fat calculation. Skinfold calipers are used to obtain measurements from specific sites around the body. These measurements are then used to perform simple calculations which are then cross referenced against a chart.
  • Electrical impedance Devices
  • Body Mass index (BMI)
  • Online BMI Calculator
  • Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator
Cardiovascular Assessment
  • Heart Rate (Systolic and Diastolic Pulse)
  • Blood Pressure (BP)
  • VO2 Max
  • Bleep Test
Monitoring Devices
Fitness Testing
  • General
  • Standard fitness benchmarking
  • Sport specific
  • NFL Combine Tests
  • NFL Combine - testing details
  • NFL Combine Stats 2010
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    • 3D Movement Screens / Dynamic Postural Assessment
    (Kinetic chain = Entire body)
    • Movement screens can be used in conjunction with static postural screens. They are more accurate methods of assessing bio-mechanical weaknesses and other structural problems, as the client is assessed whilst in motion, exposing latent inadequacies and amplifying patent ones. Its' particularly good at picking up problems with the core (not easily seen in static positions).
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    • The entire body is monitored, taking into account the counter rotation in the torso and arms, which must occur in bipedal propulsion, in order to counter-balance foot placement.
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    • It makes sense to pick fundamental movement patterns to highlight these problem areas. Movement screens are as useful for clinical diagnosis as for physical conditioning program design.
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    • 3D Digital Assessment
    • The use of motion capture technologies is also becoming more affordable (supplier list) and will in the future become standard practice.
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    • 3D Manual Assessment
    • Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screens is known to be one of the best screening systems on the market.
    • Gray Cook (Functional Movement Systems) » FMS (pdf).
      • Deep Overhead Squat (»)
      • Hurdle Step (»)
      • In-line Lunge
      • Shoulder Mobility
      • Active Straight-Leg Raise
      • Trunk Stability Push-up
      • Rotary Stability
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    • 6 Functional Movement Screen - Frans Snideman


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    • FMS in use at an athletics club


Gait Screens (Kinetic chain = Hip, knee, ankle and foot)
  • Gait kinetic chain of events ... core stabilizes the spinal column and pelvis, illiopsoas raises thigh and quadriceps extend the lower leg, toe raises for foot placement, heel is planted, plant lateral foot, medial foot cups surface and secures a steady base, hip extensors (glutes) retract and toe off on big toe (whilst the trailing planted swings through to the front) and hamstrings pull the trailing foot and leg back off the ground.
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  • The human gait is made more complex in that we are bipedal (two legged). This requires a very complex muscular coordination to allow for one legged balance, as well as maintaining and upright spinal column. In order to gain momentum we must allow our centre of gravity to fall in front of our bodies so that the propulsion from the rear foot is directed forward in an efficient manner.
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  • Walking ordinarily involves landing on the lateral heel, in order to increase acceleration (as explained above) we must force our centre of gravity further forward, and for this we change the landing of the foot. In jogging we begin to land in the middle of the foot, whilst when sprinting we land on the toes. Our acceleration is limited when we land on our heels, but this allows us greater endurance (through muscular energy conservation), whilst most of the animal kingdom is restricted to short bursts from the front foot.
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  • In order to balance on one leg, our hips evolved by turning inward. In the female this created problems as it meant less space for the birth canal, particularly as our craniums began to increase in size. It is for this reasons human birth is for more perilous, involving turning the baby's head and shoulders in order for to exit the pelvis. A baby's skull therefore consists of many plates of bone which allow it to be compressed, whilst women have retained slightly broader pelvises. This extra width in the pelvis however creates a larger "Q- angle" with the thigh bone (femur) as it leads to the knee. This angles makes woman bio-mechanically vulnerable at the knee joint.
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