Re-Assessing Movement Screens, Part III

This is a test…This is only a test

I have a confession.
I like movement screens.
I like it because it involves a test.
I like tests.
Probably because I’m a good test taker.

And as females have taught me time and time again…
Everything is a shit test.
Devoted reader,
remember that:
Everything is an assessment.
Everything is a shit test.

Which brings me to a question that has become
more and more pervasive in the personal training industry:
What is a good shit test for movement?

How can we better predict what movements will get us bigger, stronger, leaner?
How can we better predict what movements will leave us in pain or injured?

Enter the Movement Screen….
So Trainer Dick brings in Out of Shape Jane in for a movement screen.
He tests her on some fairly interesting movements.
Now these aren’t movements he’ll be using in her program
and these aren’t movements that she has ever performed before.
So why is he testing her with these movements?

Everything Affects Everything
Well, So called Experts have discovered
a loose correlation between movements.
Let me explain.

If you can do movement A in an acceptable fashion,
then you can do movement B in an acceptable fashion…
sometimes.

OK.
I agree.
There is a correlation between movements.
What I mean is that all movements affect other movements.

The Hip Bone is connected to the….
So why do all movements affect other movements?

The body is somewhat of a closed system.
Everything is somewhat contiguous or physically attached and
is also mediated by the same system:
The Nervous System.

When you move one part,
you move all the parts…
at least somewhat.

You move one part,
you affect the nervous system
which affects ALL the other parts.

Interpretation is Everything
But the movement screener will use the results in an interesting way.
The screener will say.
“Well, if you can’t pass this test (perform this movement),
then you can’t do this exercise (perform this movement).”
Really?

Let’s look at this logically.
If you cannot do an inverted row w/o pain,
Does that mean you cannot cannot do a Dumbbell bent over Row w/o pain?
Of course not.

Do both movements include flexion/extension of the shoulder and elbow?
Yep.

Do they both include protraction and retraction of the scapula?
Yep.

Can increases in one lead to increases in the other?
Yes, so they are related.

Not the same to the body
Are they the same?
Nope.
Not mechanically and not in outcome.
One hurts and one doesn’t.

Through the nervous system,
pain is telling you one exercise hurts (red light)
and another one doesn’t hurt.

Which will you a trust:
a signal from YOUR body
or an idea from someone else’s mind?

Are all inequalities created equal?
Let’s get back to The Screen.
When the screener is having the client perform tests,
What is the screener looking for?

Asymmetry.

What kind of asymmetry?
Asymmetry from one side to the other.

Symmetry matters.
There is a positive correlation
between symmetry, function and a pain free state.

But which way will symmetry be measured?
Side to Side?
Top to Bottom?
Front to Back?

If all symmetries matter, then shouldn’t all be measured?

Symmetry is correlated to function…
but correlation doesn’t prove causation.

With a body that selects for unilateral dominance…
Is symmetry the most important predictor of dysfunction?
Is there another test that better predicts?

Measure Twice, Cut Once
How is the screener measuring symmetry?
Does it involve some objective measure or is the screener eyeballin’ it?

Is symmetry determined by body experiencing it
or is it determined by someone else witnessing it?
Which is more important?

Rx for Everybody
Based on the Screener’s findings, the screener will “prescribe” corrections.
These corrections happen to be the same for everyone but…
Did everyone get asymmetry in the same fashion?

If the corrections aren’t working well,
the screener assumes that the end user is to blame.

Could it be that:
all asymmetries are individual and require individual corrections?

If the client is put into pain with any of the tests or corrections,
the screener will then refer the client to a preferred provider
which includes PTs, OTs and MDs.

Beginning Again
This healthcare provider will work with the client (now patient)
for weeks into months before sending them back the screener
to start all over again.

So Out of Shape Jane comes back
to Trainer Dick still outta shape.
Or does she? 


Will most clients wait to get into shape
because an “expert” says they need to wait?
Or will they simply do what doesn’t hurt?

What if there were a way to perform corrective exercise
and get someone in shape at the same time?
This would fly in the face of how function is perceived.

What’s the right equation?
There is a philosophy that accompanies the Movement Screen.
An education where words are redefined.
Distinctions are made between words such as function and performance.

A belief system is installed that says there is a difference
between performance and function…
…as if they were antonyms or somehow opposite.

> Function = > Performance
But shouldn’t an increase in function
be concurrent with an increase in performance?

What if I told you that each time you increased your function
your performance in the gym in the gym would increase, as well?

I want you to think about these questions that I ask
and stay tuned because in Part IV I’m going to answer them for you.

I’m going to show you what I believe to be:
the simplest, safest and most effective way to screen your own movement
so that you can have a PR everyday (an increase in performance)
and at the same time become more symmetrical (could that be a function increase?)

Are You a Scientist?
Once I demonstrate that it is possible, will you experiment?
Will you run the test?
Remember, devoted reader, everything is a shit test.
When it comes to running your body, flunking the shit test will cost you.

Life is a game with very, very high stakes.
I hope you pass the shit test.
I hope you win…
…well, at least some of you.