Selective Functional Movement Analysis
Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is a method of using a series of movements to observe movement restrictions in people with known musculoskeletal conditions.1 This method builds on the premise that seemingly unrelated changes in the body, may contribute, or be associated with, the primary location of where you are experiencing pain.
Have you experienced pain is recurrent, no matter what treatments or exercises you have tried? Treatment targeting the area only where you experience your pain may not be enough. Sometimes treating areas distant to where you are experiencing the pain is critical and may help address factors that are contributing to ongoing pain and dysfunction.
What is the SFMA?
SFMA is a series of body movements that are carefully assessed by a health professional to help identify areas to target with specific interventions, movements, or exercises. 1 For example, the tests might show that there is a lack of range or movements that lack control. The movements tested in the SFMA are movements you would likely perform in everyday life and observing how these are performed will help guide treatment decisions, including exercise prescription.
Why consider the SFMA?
SFMA may be appropriate for you if you are interested in understanding how you integrate and perform movement and how these patterns of movements may relate to your area of concern. In some cases, results can be surprising as the movement that might be identified as most relevant is not necessarily painful. SFMA is an assessment that encapsulates how the body moves as a whole.
SFMA also potentially has a role in screening athletes to help prevent injury and improve performance. By identifying less than optimal movements early, SFMA provides an opportunity to retrain these movements, which may decrease your risk of injuries and optimise your performance.
If you would like more information about SMFA, please contact the clinic. After your assessment, your physiotherapist can collaborate with you to develop an individualised plan to help you achieve your goal.
- Aghi A, Salvagnini D, Berton G, Cecconi M, Della Valle E, Spera R, Mambelli M, Palermi S, Neunhaeuserer D, Vecchiato M. Selective functional movement analysis (SFMA) reliability and proposal of its use in sports. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(3):2032. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032032
- Wainner RS, Whitman JM, Cleland JA, Flynn TW. Regional interdependence: a musculoskeletal examination model whose time has come. Journal of Orthopaedic Sports and Physical Therapy. 2007;37(11):658-60. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2007.0110.
