Functional assessment is a special examination procedure in which the physician has the patient/athlete perform specifically designed exercises.  While the patient performs each of these exercises the physician monitors how the patient's joints move, how muscles are working, and looks for key indicators of abnormal motion.  Any abnormalities or variations in how the exercise is performed can be correlated with muscle, bone, nerve, or joint problems.  These "problems" are labeled as Athletic Alerts. 

Athletic Alerts are related to overuse and training injuries due to improper biomechanics.  Correction of these Athletic Alerts and restoring proper Biomechanics results in a lower risk of injury and increased athletic performance.

How are the risks of injury lowered with functional assessment?

• Proper Biomechanics Prevent Abnormal Wear and Tear on the Human Body
   
• Correcting Compensations
        ~The human body has an amazing ability to adapt to many conditions.  For example:
            -When one area of the spine does not move properly the areas above and below the "stuck" area
             will move more than normal to compensate for the "stuck" area.  The Hypermobility or More than
             Normal Motion of those areas can result in increased wear on those joints.
            -Another example of a compensation that is commonly seen is when the foot and ankle do not
             exhibit normal  motion.  When the foot and ankle do not move properly the impact forces of running,
             jumping, and even walking cannot be properly absorbed and/or dissipated.  Therefore the hip and knee
             have to "compensate" or take on the extra forces that should have been absorbed and dissipated by the
             foot and ankle.  This type of compensation can result in knee and hip pain or injury. 

How are Athletic Alerts corrected?

        Athletic Alerts are corrected by applying our Tri-Care approach. 
        Tri-Care involves Chiropractic Adjustment, Soft Tissue Manipulation, and Rehabilitation.

• Chiropractic Adjustments -- Chiropractic Adjustments restore proper motion and biomechanics to your joints and spine.
• Soft Tissue Manipulations -- STM aids in the restoration of muscle tone, length, strength, and activation.  Once the muscles are restored to a normal state biomechanics and overall body function are improved. 
• Rehabilitation -- At All-Star Chiropractic we have a 4-stage rehabilitation program that is individually designed for each patient.  The rehabilitation program addresses muscle activation, strength, and proprioceptive and ballistic training.