ASSESSMENT SKILLS

Today’s effective therapist really needs to be a SUPER SLEUTH or
if you like, a BODY DETECTIVE!

There are two Types of assessment:
SUBJECTIVE, the most common, which requires feedback from the client
OBJECTIVE, where a higher degree of skill is required from the therapist.

An objective checklist for assessing clients is reliable because the client will
unconsciously compensate to relieve any form of body tension and thus will
present with compensating characteristics which should be detected.
A good body detective uses information gathered from.

• Observation.

• Active and Resistive testing

• Palpation

• Special ORTHOPAEDIC tests

Some of the techniques to employ are:

STRUCTURAL

How is the client standing?
Why is one of the client’s shoulders lower than the other?

Is one shoulder pointing forward?
Is the head tilted?
Is one foot splayed or turned out?
Is the mouth line straight?
Are the key body landmarks balanced?
Key body landmarks are bilaterally located and so the expectation is their
respective measurements from central points should be identical

OUT OF BALANCE

Are any of the muscles unbalanced?

All muscles require balancing that means if MUSCLE A raises,

then its corresponding MUSCLE B lowers

BOTH MUSCLES MUST BE BALANCED
A reactive muscle is a muscle that weakens, when another muscle is
activated, so complete muscle integrity is compromised

ROM TESTS

Range of movement or range of motion tests often determine
whether muscular range is normal, weak, or excessive.
Proper assessment is paramount to correcting any form of pain

I have been developing this special skill because it has proved so accurate and effective