FUNCTIONAL EXTREMITIES ASSESSMENT (FEA)
Assess Function. Connect the Findings.
A standardized approach to functional extremity assessment for chiropractors and other qualified musculoskeletal healthcare professionals.
In development. The lessons are being filmed now. Get program updates and we’ll let you know when enrollment opens.
THE ASSESSMENT
A Consistent Way to Assess Extremity Function.
Pain, range of motion and tenderness all tell you something. They don’t always tell you which joint isn’t doing its job.
FEA teaches you to assess extremity function the same way every time: joint-specific muscle tests, reproducible findings, the compensations patients use to get around a weak link, and how findings in one region relate to the next.
It’s a manual muscle test. It’s not an energy test. You’re looking at how quickly the muscle comes on and whether it holds, and comparing side to side, because testing one side is only as good as knowing what’s going on with the other.
INSIDE FEA
What FEA Covers
Lower-extremity joint assessments: hip, knee, ankle and foot.
Upper-extremity joint assessments: shoulder, elbow and wrist.
Lower- and upper-extremity assessment flows: start at home base, work downwind, and come back to where you started.
Whole-body functional assessment concepts: how the upper and lower extremities and the spine work as one unit.
Clinical interpretation and documentation: reading positive and negative findings, spotting compensations, and recording what you found in a way you can reassess later.
THE SPINE AS THE FOUNDATION
Know What’s Influencing the Test.
An extremity test is only as good as what’s feeding it. FEA includes a short, conceptual look at how spinal, neurologic and proximal influences can affect extremity function, and how they can change the way you interpret a finding. It explains the influence. It doesn’t teach spinal assessment or adjusting.
WHAT FEA DOESN’T TEACH
Assessment Only, by Design.
FEA teaches you how to assess and interpret function, not how to treat every finding. It doesn’t teach spinal adjustments, extremity adjustments, soft-tissue treatment or other corrective interventions. Use your findings within your own scope of practice.
For chiropractors who want the chiropractic correction, reassessment and troubleshooting, that’s the FE Method. Explore the FE Method →
WHO IT’S FOR
Who FEA Is For
Chiropractors and other qualified musculoskeletal healthcare professionals who want a structured, repeatable functional extremity assessment for the patients they already see: students, newer clinicians, and experienced clinicians adding extremity assessment to their exam.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Eight Modules
FEA is organized into eight modules covering: an introduction to the approach, spinal foundation concepts, lower-extremity assessments, upper-extremity assessments, clinical assessment flows, whole-body functional assessment, and clinical interpretation and documentation.
Short, hands-on lessons, taught so you feel like you’re in the room. Practice them on your patients, family members and colleagues until the repetition becomes muscle memory.
THE PROGRAMS
Two Programs. One Functional Philosophy.
FEA teaches you how to assess function. The FE Method teaches chiropractors how to act on those findings, reassess and make informed clinical decisions.
Functional extremity assessments — FEA: Yes · FE Method: Yes, brief recaps
Upper and lower assessment flows — FEA: Yes · FE Method: Yes
Spinal influence explained — FEA: Yes · FE Method: Yes
Chiropractic extremity adjustments — FEA: No · FE Method: Yes
Reassessment following treatment — FEA: No · FE Method: Yes
Soft-tissue troubleshooting — FEA: No · FE Method: Yes
Supporting spinal assessment and adjustment demonstrations — FEA: No · FE Method: Yes
Clinical treatment decision-making — FEA: No · FE Method: Yes
Who it’s for — FEA: Chiropractors and other qualified musculoskeletal healthcare professionals · FE Method: Chiropractors
Each program stands on its own. You don’t need FEA to take the FE Method, and taking one doesn’t require taking the other.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need FEA before the FE Method? No. Each program stands on its own. The FE Method includes brief recaps of the relevant assessments in every joint lesson.
Does FEA teach adjustments or treatment? No. FEA is assessment and interpretation only.
Who can take FEA? Chiropractors and other qualified musculoskeletal healthcare professionals. Apply it within your scope of practice.
Is FEA a diagnostic course? No. A muscle-test finding is a functional finding. It doesn’t establish a diagnosis on its own.
When can I start? The lessons are being filmed now. Get program updates and you’ll hear first when enrollment opens.
Do I get CE credit? Not at this time.
Assess Function. Connect the Findings.
In development. The lessons are being filmed now. Get program updates and we’ll let you know when enrollment opens.
Functional Extremities provides education for licensed healthcare professionals. Apply what you learn within your scope of practice and the regulations where you practice. Course content is not a substitute for clinical judgment, diagnosis or referral.