Perspectives Winter/Spring-2017

44 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Physical Therapy FORT LAUDERDALE Understanding the Relationship Between Movement Competency and Health Status Physical therapists provide a unique perspective on efficient human movement based on their knowledge and expertise in mobility and locomotion. The human movement system is identified as the ana- tomic structures and physiologic functions that interact to move the body or its component parts. These statements, provided recently by the American Physical Therapy Association, help to define who physical therapists are as health care practitioners. Components of human movement, such as muscle strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity, and cognitive- behavioral functioning, have been linked to injury and illness. However, examining the relationship between full-body movement patterns and overall health requires further exploration. One tool that measures the function of the human movement system is the Functional Movement Screen™. This tool has been studied extensively for its use in identifying injury risk in athletic populations. Peter Sprague, D.P.T., OCS, PT, associate professor, and class of 2018 students Adriene Bohnert, Alyssa Finn, and Alexandra Veronda are investigating the utility of the Functional Movement Screen™ as a measurement tool for the human movement system as it relates to age and health status in nonathletic populations. They seek to identify normal scores across the life span and understand how a person’s health influences the ability to move. “The idea behind this is to understand how age and health status affect a person’s ability to move,” said Sprague. “Age alone is not a precursor for a lack of movement competency and compromised independent mobility. The health of the movement system is certainly influenced by diseases and disorders. Defining this relationship is the first step in investigating if the movement system can actually influence someone’s health status. “The benefits of exercise are well defined,” Sprague added. “However, exercise is only a component of movement, because it does not ensure adequate movement quality later in life. Attention to people’s behaviors within their environments may complement traditional exercise programs in helping to achieve a higher functioning individual with less comorbidities at all stages of life.” Nine sports medicine societies worldwide recently released a position statement calling for the investiga- tion of physical activity as it relates to the prevention and management of chronic disease. This study is an effort in that direction. n Adriene Bohnert, left, and Alexandra Veronda mea- sure the active straight-leg raise, which is a component of the Functional Move- ment Screen™.