With relatively healthy clients I use a 7 point movement screen to assess clients, but some of the people I work with have well below normal body function so I was very interested in the idea of primitive movement patterns as a possible alternative or add-on for those clients I'm unwilling to risk using a traditional movement screen on.
Anyway I've just started work on learning these new patterns (on myself first). The basic idea is that as babies we a pre-programmed or at least all seem to learn certain patterns, rolling, crawling etc. All healthy babies can complete these patterns as they develop, but as adults we may well lose these abilities & this screen is to test you still have these primeval abilities, ability to roll in certain fashions & move comfortably as a quadruped (balance when taking position on all fours). Basically you're looking for inability to perform function & asymmetries (doing it well on one side & not so well on the other).
Anyway first off I always test these things on myself. I was pretty confident that I could do most of this stuff as I can complete most of the common movement screens without too much trouble with at least a '2' & more often a '3' (3 being top score, 2 being average). I was pretty surprised to find that I couldn't roll as I should be able to. Something as simple as a roll alluded me (admittedly the hardest roll in the series, but still a roll!). Just goes to show that taking something for granted like me expecting to do this screen easily as it was 'just' rolling & quadruped work & in fact even a baby could do it proves that I, for one, must not forget that even the basics should be looked at now & again to check that everything is working ok & the basic foundation of function is there.
So I'll be working on that adding in some rolling probably post weight workout get my abilities back up to what a baby can do
That's my rehab for this week. By the way monitoring yourself & putting in rehab/prehab is a good exercise for anyone who trains. Find your weakness & work on bringing it up with corrective work...But, do be cautious as some people do go headlong into 'corrective' or 'functional' stuff & end up spending all their time doing that & no time lifting heavy stuff, so save the corrective stuff for warm-up/cool-down only unless you have a 'train wreck' body, in which case get back to being able to function, then start lifting as soon as it's safe.
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