Functional Movement Testing is a special testing your chiropractor Fargo performs at ChiroHealth & Rehab that is invaluable in determining what is happening to cause your pain and limitations in your ability to move correctly without pain. The testing performed is painless but it provides the doctor and care TEAM with information that is not attainable without performing the tests.

The functional movement test is designed to show the doctor and care TEAM where your body is unable to move the way it is supposed to. Through the test you will be performing very specific body movements that will show where your body has lost proper movement as well as proper strength and stability. This is different from testing the stability of your spine in that the functional movement test will look at your whole body and its ability to move and not just your spine.

After you have met with the Fargo chiropractor at ChiroHealth & Rehab and discussed your case as well as gone through a thorough chiropractic exam, you will then do the functional movement test. The test will begin with very basic body movements and will progress to more complex movements. The test will look at two major components of your musculoskeletal system; muscles and joints.

The key to the test is that it tests your body’s ability to move in patterns and ways that it should be able to move during your normal daily activities. It is when these movements become abnormal that tissues in the body especially tendon, ligament and joints start to wear out and break down. Through the test procedure you will be guided on what movements you should perform. The movements will show the examiner where your body is not moving properly. As you progress through the test, the examiner will observe and take very detailed notes.

The examiner will be especially paying attention to where your body is incapable of moving properly due to pain or stiffness or simply not being able to move that way. Also, the examiner will note where your body struggles to maintain its stability due to muscles that have become very weak or have stopped doing their job. As well, the examiner will assess where muscles have become too strong and have started to overpower and over work leading to an imbalance in your whole body movement. You will be able to remain fully clothed during the test and the test will not cause you any increased pain or discomfort in the vast majority of cases.

Besides testing the muscles of your body in movement, the test will also look at and assess the ability of the joints in your body to move properly. The movement of your body is very complex and requires specific things in order to accomplish proper movements. Not only do muscles need to function properly but, joints do as well. You cannot separate the two. That is why your chiropractor in Fargo at ChiroHealth & Rehab will do a very thorough job of checking the spine, the joints AND the muscles of your body. During the functional movement test we check your body’s ability to move all of your joints properly.

Different joints in the body require different things in order for your body to function correctly. Certain joints require stability and others require mobility. The joints that require stability will show up on the test as being stable and healthy or will show instability and help to give information as to what is causing your pain. Likewise, the joints that require proper mobility will show up on the test as being normal and healthy or as having changes that could be contributing to your pain and condition as well. All of this information will be used to help your chiropractors Fargo at ChiroHealth & Rehab make the most comprehensive recommendations possible to help you get out of pain fast and stay that way.

The reason your Fargo chiropractor at ChiroHealth & Rehab go to such great lengths to perform a functional movement test along with the chiropractic examination and the digital x-ray is that we believe in not only helping to reduce your pain as quickly as possible but, we also believe strongly in helping to prevent the pain from returning and in showing you how to make certain that it doesn’t return.

The benefits of performing the functional movement test in addition to the other exam procedures are many. The human body is more than just the joints of the spine and as such, human movement is more than just bones, joints, and muscles. When therapists and doctors choose to simply focus on only the spinal joints or just the muscles and fail to look at the entire body from head to toe, they miss most of the important information related to your body’s health.

In other words, when doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists do not properly examine all of the joints and muscles and more importantly, how your body is moving, then there will be a lot of very important information that will be missed. When this important information is not collected, you as the patient will end up spending a lot of time and money only to have your pain continue, your condition worsen and your frustration grow. This is why your chiropractors Fargo at ChiroHealth & Rehab will take the time to perform the evaluation and tests necessary to look at your entire body’s ability to move and perform correctly and the functional movement test is a very important tool in accomplishing this.

“My symptoms included hip pinching and tightness when sitting for long periods; running and physical activity were made moderately difficult. This was unacceptable with being such a young age. After one round of treatment, I feel much less pain, I am physically active again with no joint pain, and sitting isn’t an issue, either!”

• Chelsea M., Fargo, Full time student