The human body does not function as a symmetrical machine. So why do we innately strive for an unachievable standard of symmetry as an indicator of our movement health and performance?

In this post, we will discuss circumstances where performance asymmetry may not indicate a deficit and how it should drive performance and injury prevention decision-making.

While limb asymmetry assessments are pillars of movement health and return to sport functional milestones, determining readiness to return to activity is multifactorial. Here are some actionable guidelines for leveraging asymmetry testing in your practice.

Have you ever heard of the Hawthorne Effect? You should Google this term. It refers to the effects of taking a measurement on what we actually want to measure. Imagine you are a sociologist interested in the sexual behaviours of middle-aged men. How effective would it be to park your lab equipment in the bedroom of your study participants to understand what really happens? That’s the Hawthorne effect. The Hawthorne effect also impacts neuromuscular testing.