Functional assessments after an injury

Pain-free doesn’t always mean problem-free.

So your injury’s feeling better. The swelling is gone. You can move without flinching. Maybe you even got the green light to ease back into training.

But before you sprint, squat, or serve again — ask yourself: Is your body actually ready?

At Your Form Sux (YFS), we say this all the time: just because pain is gone doesn’t mean your injury is fully healed. You need to know if your body can handle real-life movement under load, fatigue, and pressure. That’s where functional assessments come in.

What Is a Functional Assessment, Anyway?

A functional assessment tests how well your body moves — not just in isolation, but in motion, under stress, and in the context of what you want to get back to.

We’re not just looking at how your shoulder feels or whether your knee bends. We’re looking at:

• Stability
• Strength
• Mobility
• Neuromuscular control
• Compensations and asymmetries
• Movement efficiency under fatigue

It’s not just about “can you move?”
It’s about “can you move well — consistently — without setting yourself up for re-injury?”

Why It Matters Post-Injury

You might feel “okay” walking around or doing light activity. But return-to-play or return-to-training is a different level.

Without a functional assessment, you’re guessing.
And guessing is how people:

• Re-aggravate injuries
• Create new injuries elsewhere (because they’re compensating)
• Stall out in performance because their movement sucks

Your body adapts during injury. You might shift weight differently, favor one side, or lose stability in a joint. Unless that gets identified and corrected, you’re stacking dysfunction on dysfunction.

What Happens in a Functional Assessment at YFS?

We tailor each one based on your sport, activity, or goal — but generally, it includes:

• 🔹 Movement Screening: We analyze how you walk, squat, lunge, hinge, twist, reach, jump — depending on your needs.
• 🔹 Joint Mobility & Muscle Testing: We check for stiffness, hypermobility, imbalances, and strength deficits.
• 🔹 Stability Under Load: Can your joints stay stable while under stress? Can you control movement at end range?
• 🔹 Sport-Specific or Goal-Specific Drills: If you’re a runner, lifter, skater, or climber — we replicate movements from your sport to see how your body handles them.
• 🔹 Fatigue Tolerance Checks: Some compensations only show up when you’re tired. We dig into that too.

Who Should Get One?

Honestly? Anyone coming back from injury. Especially if you:

• Want to train hard again
• Compete in sport or races
• Have a history of recurring injuries
• Work a physical job
• Care about moving well long-term

Whether it’s an ankle sprain, shoulder impingement, or low back pain — a functional assessment shows if you’re actually ready to move forward.

TL;DR – If You’re Post-Injury, This Is Your Green Light Test

Forget the old-school “rest until it feels better” method. That’s outdated.

A functional assessment is the smarter, safer way to:

• Spot and fix movement issues
• Prevent re-injury
• Restore strength and control
• Build confidence in your body again