The SFMA is the movement based diagnostic system, designed to clinically assess 7 fundamental movement patterns in those with known musculoskeletal pain. The assessment provides an efficient method to systematically find the cause of symptoms, not just the source, by logically breaking down dysfunctional patterns and diagnosing their root cause as either a mobility problem or a stability/motor control problem.

This systematic process allows clinicians to clearly match their intervention to the main problem of the patient. This model efficiently integrates the concepts of altered motor control, the neurodevelopmental perspective, and regional interdependence into musculoskeletal practice.

The SFMA comes from the people who brought us FMS, the functional movement screen.  The SFMA helps us best determine where to guide treatment, especially for long term durability issues and patients with recurrent injuries, where treating the source of pain gives temporary results.  SFMA is most valuable for determining the most dysfunctional but nonpainful body parts which may be causing the painful parts to overwork and bread down.

SFMA is more of a “big picture” type of analysis which helps direct the local hands on treatment and rehabilitation.  It serves as a bit of a roadmap to which therapies to perform and where, rather that trying random interventions and seeing if they stick.  It is best utilized for someone with multiple issues to determine which ones are primary or secondary and where the therapy is best directed.