As football coach at Boothbay Region High School, Bryan Dionne likes the way functional movement screening can help his players perform better on the field and avoid injuries.

“A lot of times when you do these screens you can find something that no one knew was there,” Dionne said. “It is great that (Lincoln County Healthcare Physical Therapist Jim Stevens) and his group are working hard to get this to our schools.”

After going through the screening with his officers on Wednesday, Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Robert Hasch said the results were, “surprising, even to those of us who like to think of ourselves as in shape.”

The tests pinpointed the group’s weaknesses and the therapists were able to provide each officer with exercises and stretches for improvement, said Hasch.

“It really demonstrated that balance, core strength and flexibility are an imperative part of core fitness,” Hasch said.

Functional movement screening is a series of movements including a deep squat, a hurdle step and a reach behind the back that allows physical therapists to pinpoint problems like inflexibility, weakness and poor balance. Following the screening, the person who was screened is given a program to address any issues.

By strengthening weak muscles or improving flexibility, people who take the test can become more capable physically and less prone to falls or injuries. Professional sports teams and colleges, including the University of Maine, have been using the system to protect athletes for years, said LincolnHealth Physical Therapist Jim Stevens, who is leading the effort at the high school.

“Basically the objective of the functional movement screening is to prevent injuries, but it also eventually ends up improving performance,” Stevens said.

For example, if an athlete has weak stabilizer muscles (which protect the joints and promote balance), he or she is more at risk of falls and injuries to their knees and ankles when they run, especially if they turn suddenly. By strengthening those muscles, athletes will be less prone to injury, and they will also be able to change direction more quickly on the field.

Lincoln County Healthcare therapists are giving the screening to as many athletes at Boothbay Region High School as possible. They are also making the testing available to firefighters, police and other groups who use their body at work as part of a community-wide emphasis on promoting wellness and preventing injury.

That effort also includes a partnership with school officials to keep athletes safe from concussions through ImPACT testing, a testing tool which uses a baseline of cognitive measurements to help determine when it is safe for an athlete to return to the field following an injury.