The 6th Congress of Exercise and Sport Sciences

The Importance of Assessment

Galit Tenenbaum
Posture Department, The Academic College at Wingate, Netanya, Israel

Whether you are a clinician or whether you are a trainer, an assessment should be one of your first steps because it provides you with baseline information. You cannot see whether your client is progressing or regressing if you do not have data with which to compare. In order to relieve pain and improve movement you have to identify the source, which is typically not the site of pain or the site of what you see as a dysfunction. We must assess the entire body to know how to build a plan. As Dr. Vladimir Janda commented, "due to the interaction of the skeletal system, muscular system and CNS, dysfunction of any joint or muscle is reflected in the quality and function of others not just locally but also globally". Movement should be our main focus. We will talk about the fundamental components that should be included when assessing the neuromusculoskeletal system. Movement assessment is a key piece in the prediction of injury but it is not the only piece in the puzzle. Always consider homeostasis; ask about sleep, pain, stress, emotions, etc.

The literature shows that poor posture across multiple joints creates a higher likelihood of problems. Riviera (2017) and Ross (2014) showed in their studies that dynamic changes in pelvic tilt can significantly influence the functional orientation of the acetabulum, meaning pelvic posture affects the range of motion at the hip and as a result this contributes to femoral acetabular impingement (FAI). Any clinician can tell you that improving posture or position can reduce pain. For example, working on a pelvic tilt can increase that space in the acetabulum by up to 8 mm. Thus, we can improve hip range of motion or pain in terms of FAI. For shoulder impingement, just by taking the scapula to an upward rotation in flexion or abduction at the shoulder, we can reduce pain and improve the range of motion at the shoulder.

There are many kinds of posture and movement assessments out there. Understanding the principles allows you not to be dependent on a single method but to choose what is relevant to each client.

Galit Tenenbaum
Galit Tenenbaum
The Academic College at Wingate








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