Whiteboard Talks: Systems Road Map
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FMS and SFMA: When Should I Use What?
Written by Michele Desser The System
Using movement to guide decision-making in fitness and healthcare settings is the foundation of Functional Movement Systems. The FMS philosophy is to eliminate the guesswork and professional bias to find the best opportunity for the person in our care by screening, assessing, or testing. It’s a logical, systematic process incorporating checks and re-checks to ensure positive progress. By investing our time upfront, we can better understand how to assist our clients or patients in achieving their goals more effectively.
One of the most common questions asked is: What is the difference between FMS and SFMA?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is where the company started - it serves as a "vital sign" check for movement, something most of us do all day, every day. It’s a quick screen to understand patterns an individual moves well in, those that we may need to help them with, or those to avoid if painful. The FMS provides valuable information to build a fitness program for an individual while minimizing risk. But keep in mind, the FMS is not meant to be diagnostic. Its best use is in the gym before beginning a program, in the corporate wellness setting to monitor employee movement health, and in the clinic as discharge or return to play criteria.
The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is our clinical diagnostic tool for individuals experiencing pain. Pain often alters movement patterns in unpredictable ways, as we naturally modify our behavior to avoid further discomfort. The SFMA's strength lies in its ability to uncover the underlying causes of pain rather than merely addressing the symptoms - it finds the “why” behind the pain. When a pattern is not ideal, the SFMA breaks it down to identify why it was restricted and leads the healthcare professional to an impairment or treatment region. The SFMA is most effective during the initial assessment and throughout the treatment process to ensure a comprehensive approach to managing pain and improving function.
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the patterns of the FMS and SFMA
Now that we’ve established when the FMS and SFMA are most ideally used, let’s talk about what movements we look at in each of them.
Remember the biggest difference in use is the presence of pain. In the SFMA we are trying to uncover the impairment affecting a pattern and contributing to their complaint of pain. Therefore, we are looking at the building blocks of movement - can they move appropriately into flexion? Into extension? Can they move one arm into a reach pattern?
But in real life, we move in reciprocal patterns of upper and lower body - one extends while the other flexes. The FMS has us covered here! It considers the combined movements of upper body and lower body reciprocal patterning.
The SFMA checks to see if the person can flex their spine. Can they extend their spine? and can they rotate their spine? Whereas the FMS checks to see if they can stabilize and control their spine by resisting flexion, extension, and rotation.
In the SFMA, the person is asked to stand on one leg for Single Leg Stance. In the FMS, it becomes a dynamic Single Leg Stance with the Hurdle Step.
The Arms Down Deep Squat looks at the lower body contribution to squatting in the SFMA, while in the FMS, the Overhead Deep Squat looks at the full body in relation to squatting.
These are just a few highlights of the different ways we look at movement patterns in the screen (FMS) and in the assessment (SFMA). Both are using movement to guide decision-making, but the intent of each is different. Pain is the dividing line between screeing and assessing - pain requires a more targeted look to find impairments.
The FMS and SFMA are the foundation of our system, connecting fitness and healthcare professionals globally and providing a common movement language. The team approach is key to tackling movement health. Understanding the process of the system will only make your business and your professional relationships stronger. If you need to find an FMS or SFMA professional in your area, check out our Certified Member Map!
Author
Michele Desser is a Certified Athletic Trainer and serves as the Director of Education at Functional Movement Systems. She comes from a strong background of injury prevention, rehabilitation, movement assessment and performance training. Her expertise in the areas of movement assessment and correction, motor learning, strength development, and speed development allows her to help her clients achieve optimal mobility and stability patterns of movement. She has serves as an instructor for the SFMA and FMS curriculum and has been the training and movement assessment practitioner for the TPI Experience Team at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, CA. Michele received her Athletic Training education at the University at Buffalo.
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