FMS Level 2 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

FMS composite score

Sum of the seven screen scores, ranging 0-21. A composite of 14 or below on the 21-point scale is the conventional threshold flagging elevated injury risk in active populations.

Score of 0

Recorded when pain is reported anywhere during a screen or clearing test. It overrides any movement score, ends that item, and requires referral to a healthcare provider rather than corrective exercise.

Asymmetry flag

A left-right difference of one or more points on any bilateral screen. It is recorded alongside the lower score and treated as a priority finding even when the composite score is high.

Deep Squat 3 criteria

Heels on floor, torso parallel to tibia or upright, thighs below horizontal, dowel held overhead, and knees tracking over toes without the arms falling forward.

Clearing tests

Pass/fail pain provocation tests performed after specific screens (shoulder impingement sign, spinal extension, spinal flexion). A positive result produces a 0 for the associated screen and never adds points.

Bilateral screen scoring

Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, Inline Lunge, Shoulder Mobility, and Active Straight-Leg Raise are scored on each side; the lower of the two scores is recorded and the difference flagged.

Heel lift in squat

Anterior weight shift with heels rising during the Deep Squat. It typically indicates limited ankle dorsiflexion or hip flexion and is scored as a 2 compensation.

Valgus knee collapse

Inward knee movement during the squat or lunge. It reflects insufficient hip abduction and external rotation control rather than a primary knee strength problem.

Hurdle Step trunk lean

Excessive forward or lateral trunk motion over the stance leg. It points to stance-leg stability or hip mobility deficits, not to global strength limitation.

Shoulder Mobility limitation

Fists farther apart than one hand length. The usual drivers are thoracic extension or rotation restriction and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit, not isolated deltoid weakness.

Active SLR asymmetry

A left-right difference in the straight-leg raise. It commonly reflects hamstring or gastrocnemius tightness on one side versus hip flexor or core control on the other.

Trunk Stability Push-Up 2

Completing the push-up with thumbs at chin level rather than forehead level. It indicates a core bracing or anti-extension control deficit, not arm strength.

Rotary Stability compensation

A score of 2 with unilateral or diagonal limb lift, or a 1 with inability to complete. It signals poor anti-rotation control and hip-pelvis dissociation.

Proximal stability deficit

Lumbar-pelvic control limitation that appears as compensations across several screens at once. The seven-screen pattern should be read as a system, not item by item.

Corrective continuum

Mobility and flexibility first, then static motor control, then dynamic and integrated movement, then performance. Each phase is a prerequisite for the next in program design.

Corrective progression rule

Advance to the next phase only when the client performs the drill with no compensation for the prescribed reps and sets across two consecutive sessions.

Corrective regression rule

If a drill reproduces the compensation or pain, drop one phase, for example from standing to half-kneeling, rather than adding load or volume.

Corrective dosage

Typically 1-2 sets of 5-10 slow reps or 30-60 seconds, placed before the main session and repeated as a short daily home program.

Re-screen interval

Corrective work is reassessed after 4-6 weeks of consistent practice. The program changes only when the screen score or the observed compensation changes.

Mobility versus stability

Mobility is achieving range of motion actively; stability is controlling that range under load. The screen tests both together, so a limitation can come from either.

Motor control definition

The nervous system's ability to recruit, time, and coordinate muscles for a task. It is trainable separately from strength and flexibility, using slow controlled practice.

Joint-by-joint concept

Ankles and hips favor mobility, the lumbar spine favors stability, and the thoracic spine favors mobility. A deficit at one joint is often compensated at the adjacent joint.

Anti-rotation stability

The ability to resist unwanted rotation while a limb or load moves. It is the quality tested by Rotary Stability and trained with half-kneeling or plank anti-rotation drills.

Intra-abdominal pressure

Pressure generated by co-contraction of the diaphragm, transversus abdominis, and pelvic floor. It underlies core bracing and is trained with breathing and anti-extension drills.

Active range of motion

Range the client can achieve without assistance. It is the relevant measure for the screen, because passive range alone does not predict movement quality.

Standard screen order

Deep Squat, Hurdle Step, Inline Lunge, Shoulder Mobility, Active Straight-Leg Raise, Trunk Stability Push-Up, Rotary Stability. A fixed order keeps results comparable across screenings.

Screening timing

Screen at intake before program design, then re-screen every 4-6 weeks or after a change in training status or injury. Avoid screening immediately after a fatiguing session.

Highest-risk profile

A composite score of 14 or below combined with at least one asymmetry. It is used to prioritize which corrective work comes first in the program.

Screen documentation

Record the score, the specific compensation observed, and the corrective assigned. This makes the next re-screen an objective comparison rather than a memory-based judgment.

Explaining a score of 2

Describe it as movement quality, not a grade: the body completed the task with a compensation. Use observable language such as 'your heel lifted' rather than diagnostic labels.

Communicating a 0

Explain that pain during the screen is a reason to see a healthcare provider, not a training problem to fix in the gym. Referral comes before any corrective exercise.

Corrective buy-in

Frame correctives as a short 5-10 minute add-on that supports the client's main goal, and give only one or two priorities so adherence stays high.