Hi
, scroll with me through the “Initial Assessment” information below. I hope this information clarifies the process you will go through during your assessment. The “Initial Assessment” is a collection of assessments that range from a functional movement test to specific muscle testing(strength and length tests).
Tests Used: Consultation for Postural Health, A Pain Screen, Visual Symmetry Assessment, A Functional Movement Assessment, Muscle Length Tests, Muscle Activation Tests, and Goniometric (Protractor) Joint Range Of Motion Measurements.
I use these test to identify potential causes for postural compensation patterns that can lead to injury and chronic pain issues within the neuromuscular system.
Let’s discuss each of these below in a bit more detail.
What does an assessment of postural health involve? Well…chances are you feel restricted, stiff, knotted up…maybe your body just doesn’t move like it used too. Do you have pain/discomfort when getting up from a seated position? How about shoulder pain when putting on a shirt?
The entire assessment uses a multi-layered evidence-based approach that gathers data(objective measurements) to refine therapeutic strategies in order to maximize outcomes.
You will be asked if you have any pain and/ or discomfort. The location, type, severity, onset, what makes your pain better, what makes your pain worse, when did your pain start, and duration and so forth.
The Visual Assessment: relies on the therapists eyes, imagining plumb lines and grid lines, to see asymmetries like shoulder elevation, cervical rotation, shoulder internal rotation, elevation at the pelvis, foot turn out, feet flatten, etc…
Ideal Posture: 2nd toe pointing forward, feet parallel, ankles aligned under the hips, pelvis in a neutral position, lumbar spine in a normal neutral curve, shoulders slightly retracted, chest up, cervical spine in neutral curve, with the head sitting on top of the shoulders.
Feet: Should not be turned out and inner arch should not be touching the floor(Flat Feet)
Knees: In line with toes not bowed out or in
Pelvis/ Hips: Should not have elevation(should be level)
Lower Back: Should not have an excessive arch or ridged straight
Shoulders: Should not be elevated or rounded forward
Head: Should not be tilted or rotated
The Over-Head Squat Assessment is commonly used as a dynamic/ transitional movement assessment.
Purpose: This assessment was designed to assess dynamic flexibility, core strength, balance, and overall neuromuscular control. This assessment is a great tool to highlight deviations from ideal motion.
Relevance: This type of assessment is well suited for highlighting altered movement patterns that may be incorporating multiple body segments and can cause compensation patterns, potentially being the cause of your pain.
Q: Do you know what a muscle length test(MLT) is?
A: A muscle length test is the elongating of a target muscle in the direction opposite its action.
The purpose of MLT’s is to assess a muscle’s resistance to passive lengthening.
Why do I perform this test? Alone muscle length tests are good, but when combined with other assessments, it gives a clearer picture of the structures(Muscles/ Fascia) potentially causes your faulty movement patterns and creating your pain.
“Muscle Strength Tests are the bread and butter of the whole assessment, honestly. During this section of the assessment these tests help to identify strong vs weak muscle, which happens to be the reason your imbalance.
What is a “Muscle Strength Test”… A test attempting to stress a specific muscle via external resistance, helping to highlight compromised structures, confirm results of previous tests, refine proper therapeutic strategies!
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