Functional screening

Functional movement screening is a process that is highly debated and has become widely used within the sport and exercise sciences with both general and athletic populations. This chapter provides an overview of functional screening to guide sport and exercise scientists in their selection and use of screening tools in practice. Movement quality tests are more commonly considered ‘functional screens’ and include identification and rating of movement patterns. Numerous functional screens have been developed for use in athletic and general populations, with the most widely used being the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). The FMS comprises seven movements that, combined, provide a screening tool to assess functional mobility and postural stability in different settings without locomotion. There are validated and reliable tools such as the FMS and the LESS that can be used to determine movement quality and guide management of training programmes and pre-/rehabilitation.