Move Well, Age Well: Make a FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE SCREEN Part of Your Annual Check-Up
- lisa039464
- Nov 21, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Maintaining mobility and physical function is essential for preserving independence and enhancing quality of life as you age. This proactive approach helps identify potential issues early, ensuring you stay active and healthy. Complement your annual medical check-up with a targeted assessment of your physical function and mobility.
Maximize Your Mobility: The Importance of an Annual Functional Performance Screen
An annual Functional Performance Screen is a powerful tool to help detect potential areas of functional decline before they become significant issues. This comprehensive evaluation assesses key aspects of your physical health, including mobility, gait, balance, posture, strength, and overall wellness. Based on the results, you'll receive personalized recommendations and a customized plan designed to help you achieve your goals. A follow-up visit 4–8 weeks later will address any concerns and ensure your progress over the next year.
By proactively identifying limitations and impairments, you’ll be empowered to take control of your health and prevent issues that could impact your independence and quality of life.
Why Your Annual Check-Up Isn’t Enough
While annual medical visits are essential for monitoring overall health, they often don’t thoroughly evaluate your functional mobility, strength, balance, gait, or posture. These components offer critical insights into your physical function and provide the foundation for maintaining mobility and independence as you age.
Staying active and mobile plays a vital role in preserving your independence and enhancing your quality of life. A Functional Performance Screen complements your medical check-ups by offering a detailed, targeted analysis of your physical capabilities.
What to Expect: The 90-Minute Functional Performance Screen
This one-on-one assessment evaluates:
Wellness and injury history
Fundamental movement quality (e.g., reaching, bending)
Balance
Gait pattern
Basic endurance
Functional strength
Posture
Osteoporosis Risks
During the session, areas of concern or compensatory patterns that could lead to falls, injuries, or decreased function are identified. You’ll receive tailored recommendations and an activity plan to help you achieve your unique mobility and wellness goals.
By tracking changes in your performance annually, we can adapt your activity recommendations to address life’s challenges and ensure you continue moving well and aging gracefully.
Why Is an Annual Functional Performance Screen Important?
Over time, repetitive activities and past injuries create compensatory movement patterns that can mask underlying issues. While these compensations may work temporarily, as we age and lose muscle mass, they can lead to pain, injuries, or loss of independence.
Reduced physical activity is another challenge that often accompanies aging. This decline negatively impacts many bodily systems, contributing to a general decline in health.
The earlier you address small dysfunctions, the less likely they are to cause significant problems. Maintaining optimal mobility and function is critical for your overall health, independence, and quality of life.
Benefits of a Functional Performance Screen
Proactive Health Management: Identifies limitations before they escalate.
Custom Plans: Creates tailored strategies to improve mobility, strength, and balance.
Ongoing Monitoring: Tracks changes over time, empowering informed decisions about your activity and exercise regimen.
Collaboration with an Expert: Discuss your concerns with a physical therapist, an expert in human movement and function.
Your Path to Wellness: Goals of the Functional Performance Screen
Prevent disease and dysfunction through early detection and intervention.
Track your progress with benchmarks to meet or exceed each year.
Enhance overall health: Stay physically active and mobile to prevent chronic conditions and take greater control of your well-being.
By staying proactive, you can detect potential issues, maintain independence, and continue enjoying life to the fullest. Let us help you move well and age well—starting today.
Set your goals.
Track your progress.
Take control of your function.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE SCREEN
What Can I Expect at Your Functional Performance Screen?
Before your appointment:
After booking, you’ll receive an email with simple forms to complete online or print. These help us set up your file.
You’ll also receive 5–6 additional pages specific to the assessment. Please:
Complete and bring them to your appointment, or
Arrive 30 minutes early to fill them out in the office.
During your session:
The session lasts approximately 90 minutes.
We’ll begin with a discussion about your current functional status, wellness goals for the next 6–12 months, and any concerns regarding mobility, balance, or overall function.
The active portion of the session includes assessments of posture, strength, flexibility, gait, and mobility. A balance assessment is also included, but you may opt out of any activity that feels uncomfortable.
Using the information gathered, we’ll design a customized exercise and activity plan to help you achieve your goals. Additional recommendations will be provided as needed.
How frequently should I schedule a Functional Performance Screen?
Typically, one assessment visit and a 4-8 week follow up are sufficient. The information and guidance provided during these sessions should help you to reach your mobility goals over a period of time. If your initial level level of function was fairly low, or if you feel that your mobility has changed as a result of recent health concerns, a visit every 6 months may be recommenced.
How long does this appointment take?
The Functional Performance Screen typically takes approximately 90 minutes.
If you have not already completed all the pre-appointment paperwork, you should arrive to your appointment 30 minutes early, as this provides your therapist with important information regarding your current health and wellness. Please be ready to go at your scheduled appointment time!
If the development of your customized plan requires a bit more time, another 60 minute visit may be recommended by the therapist.
A follow up visit is typically recommended within 4-8 weeks. This helps us ensure that your program is a great fit and make any beneficial changes or additions so that you are well set up to meet your goals. This visit is approximately 45-60 minutes.
How is this different from a typical course of physical therapy?
Most people undergoing a course of physical therapy are doing so to deal with a specific problem and significant time is spent in physical therapy over several weeks or months.
The Functional Performance Assessment is one comprehensive session that will look at your functional mobility as a whole. One additional follow-up session is scheduled one or two months later to ensure that your program is going well and to make any needed teaks. It is NOT an ongoing course of physical therapy.
If you have a specific physical issue that is impacting your ability to function, and for which you would like physical therapy please contact our office to schedule an appointment for a PT evaluation of that specific issue. The Functional Performance Assessment would not address these more specific problems.
Does insurance pay for this service?
This is a wellness service and is not considered “medically necessary” by Medicare. As such, it is not covered by insurance. Contact our office for details about service fees.
Do I need a referral from my medical provider?
No referral is necessary. Call us anytime to schedule your appointment!
