Functional Movement Screen

Through our teaching, we have been able to create great relationships with other medical providers who have a passion to see Physical Therapy progressed to a higher level. Gray Cook is one of these providers. His collaboration with many high level sports professionals, such as Lee Burton, has pushed our thinking of human movement and its development of dysfunction in the sporting population to a level not seen before. With research supporting the use of the Functional Movement Screen in the sporting and non-sporting populations, we can now objectively evaluate a patient's movement for causes for dysfunction and possibly decrease their risk for future injury.

FMS History

Gray Cook and Lee Burton have attempted to improve communication and develop a tool that will improve objectivity and collaboration between the professions of physical therapy, strength and conditioning and athletic training.  The Functional Movement Screen was originally developed to gather objective data for statistical analysis of human movement patterns with respect to functional performance and injury prevention.  Our individual experiences, as well as collaborative clinical and research experiences (with respect to functional movement), have allowed us to refine and improve a philosophy set forth in 1995.

It was at this time literature review and research identified no systematic tool to identify functional asymmetry or major limitation in functional movement patterns.  Most of the tests at that time were geared to athletic performance or specific skill performance.  We, as a group, felt that the fundamental human movement patterns were being left out of analysis.  Research has demonstrated that right-left asymmetries and major limitations can increase injury potential and decrease functional effectiveness.

Currently,  there is no tool to effectively track substitution and compensations - most test are quantitative and not qualitative in nature.  Our attempt to add the Functional Movement Screen to current sports medicine and strength and conditioning practices was an attempt to fulfill a void.  We do not feel that the Functional Movement Screen replaces any of the standardized testing methodology currently used.  Instead, we feel that it adds another perspective of human movement that could potentially help clarify problems as well as improve performance and resistance to injury.

Organizations Gray and Lee Have Worked With

Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Brigham Young University
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Indians
Cooper Institute
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts Mayo Clinic
Montreal Canadians
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders
Orange County Fire Department
San Francisco 49ers
Secret Services
Stanford University
Texas A&M University Recreational Sports
Toronto Blue Jays
United States Government Organizations
University of Georgia
United States Military
University of Maryland
University of Texas
University of Wisconsin