MoveSafe originally developed a movement screen for industrial athletes in 2012 as a way to provide assistance to people with muscle and movement imbalances affecting their ability to avoid injuries.
At the time, we had noted that very few clients could afford the onsite clinical services, not to mention that offering rehabilitation services tends to foster reactive service provision, which can de-emphasize the importance of prevention and self-management. Creation of the Movement Screens allowed us to focus on a preventative approach, providing the individual with knowledge, skills, and responsibility to maintain your body before the pain syndromes start, rather than after the injury has been established.
When developing the screens, functional movements of the body (movements/muscle coordination required to perform basic tasks) were taken into consideration, specifically those that if not performed well would most likely lead to common low back, shoulder, or knee issues.
After having a movement screen, exercises were provided and the employee was instructed to focus on certain aspects of our Warm-Up program. Re-screening was always strongly encouraged as this is when the employee was able to see their measurable improvements. Unfortunately, re-screens were not always possible given the frequency of in person site visits.
The COVID 19 pandemic brought on new workplace challenges for many businesses. Statistics show that “At the beginning of 2021, 32% of Canadian employees aged 15 to 69 worked most of their hours from home, compared with only 4% in 2016.” Additionally, workplaces where essential workers remained in office or field environments, only contractors deemed essential were typically allowed on site.
MoveSafe was faced with transitioning as much of our program as possible onto an online platform so that we were still able to assist in improving people’s lives.This included revamping and updating our existing Movement Screen to function as an online follow along video course that provides directions for the participant video submission portion. With the video submissions it becomes easy for our Athletic Therapists assessing the screens to play back the movement and easily identify areas that could be improved, so long as set-up instructions are followed.
This new virtual avenue opens up the experience to anyone, whether you work in the office or the field, urban centres or in remote locations. Or maybe you are a stay at home parent or are retired and looking for some movement education and improvement.
Watch the videos, and either follow along, or read over written instructions
When ready, film yourself performing the movement (one movement of the screen at a time)
Submit your videos within the online course
Once you’ve completed all 7 movement sections, and left any comments or questions, you will be contacted by a Certified Athletic Therapist to book a consultation to go over your screen results.
During your virtual consultation the Athletic Therapist may ask that you repeat some of the movements for clarification, or perform some additional comments for further assessment purposes. The Athletic Therapist will then discuss their confidential findings with you and provide you with their assessment of your functional movements and explain what risks or injuries could be related to them. At the end of the consultation the Athletic Therapist will provide you with a few exercises that focus on areas that can be improved, as noted by your movements.
After a period of 3-4 weeks, so long as you have complied with the program you have been given, it is advisable to have a virtual follow-up appointment to go over progress, barriers/obstacles, and provide progressive exercises if appropriate.
Our MoveSafe team is excited about the possibilities created by transitioning the Movement Screen into a virtual offering. We are eager for the opportunity to improve the quality of life of as many individuals as possible. If our Virtual Movement Screen sounds right for you, click the button below for more information regarding the process and to see what packages we have available.
