Screening Application, Client Communication, and Programming Integration
This domain tests whether you can use the screen responsibly in practice: explain results, act on pain, document decisions, and integrate correctives without replacing the client’s training. FMS Level 2 expects professional communication and scope awareness, not just scoring accuracy.
Using the screen
- The FMS is a screen, not a diagnosis and not a stand-alone injury predictor.
- Use individual test scores and asymmetries to guide programming, not only the total.
- Obtain consent, explain the process, and document scores, clearing tests, and any pain.
- A 0 requires referral or clearance according to scope and local rules; do not train through the painful pattern.
Communicating results
Use plain language: a score describes how the client completed a task, not whether the client is broken. Explain that a 2 reflects a compensation and a 1 means the pattern could not be completed. For pain, be direct but calm: the finding needs assessment, and training will be modified in the meantime. Avoid fear-based language and avoid promising that a higher score prevents injury.
Programming integration
Keep the training goal. Place correctives in the warm-up or a short separate block, and avoid turning the whole session into corrective exercise. Program around painful or restricted patterns while maintaining pain-free strength and conditioning. Retest after a planned block, not after every session.
Worked example
A client reports pain during the trunk stability push-up clearing test. The paired screen becomes 0. Explain that this is a pain finding, not a training score; refer for assessment; document the positive clearing test. Modify upper-body pressing and extension-based work, but keep pain-free lower-body training and conditioning. Re-screen only after clearance. This preserves the training relationship and respects scope.
Traps that cost marks
Telling a client they are broken because of a low score; using the total score to predict injury; continuing a test after pain appears; replacing an entire program with correctives; failing to document a positive clearing test; and never re-screening.