“Why Does It Hurt?”
Can you touch your toes? If not, do you know why? Is it because you have “tight hamstrings” or a stiff lower back or many other possibilities. Have you ever wondered why your hamstrings are tight in the first place? Why is your lower back so stiff? By using the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) with our clients, we are able to quickly and easily communicate the “why”.
A simple model that can help you to 
understand how your body works is by examining the body in a Joint by Joint Approach. The basic concept is that the body is designed in an alternating sequence of stable segments connected by mobile joints, and that dysfunction occurs when one or more joints changes it’s functional design. In other words, if you have a good and stable arch in your foot then it will allow for your ankle to move freely. If your ankle is stiff, then this may cause your foot or knee to move more than they were designed to which then leads to injury. This is where the SFMA can help you understand the Joint by Joint Approach and how the body functions as a whole.
“The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is a series of 7 full-body movement tests designed to assess fundamental patterns of movement such as bending and squatting in those with known musculoskeletal pain. When the clinical assessment is initiated from the perspective of the movement pattern, the clinician has the opportunity to identify meaningful impairments that may be seemingly unrelated to the main musculoskeletal complaint, but contribute to the associated disability. This concept, known as Regional Interdependence, is the hallmark of the SFMA.”
This system allows us to not only treat the injury, it also allows us treat what caused the injury in the first place. It could be that ankle sprain from 15 years ago, or that old hockey knee injury that has contributed to your current low back pain! Often times fixing dysfunctional areas, like your ankle or knee, can clear up the low back pain.
All of our physiotherapists are SFMA trained and use this system on a daily basis to help all of our clients find the root cause behind their pain.
