Functional movement screening: predicting injuries in officer candidates.
Francis G O'Connor1, Patricia A Deuster, Jennifer Davis
1Uniformed Services University, Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. foconnor@usuhs.mil
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|May 25, 2011
Summary
Functional Movement Screening (FMS) can predict injury risk in military personnel. Lower FMS scores (≤14) were associated with increased injury rates in Marine officer candidates.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Military Health
- Musculoskeletal Assessment
Background:
- Functional Movement Screening (FMS) is a validated method for assessing movement quality.
- Military training environments pose significant risks for musculoskeletal injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the score distribution of FMS in a large military cohort.
- To determine if FMS scores can predict injury in Marine officer candidates.
Main Methods:
- 874 Marine officer candidates underwent FMS during in-processing.
- Candidates were followed for injuries during short-cycle (SC) and long-cycle (LC) training.
Main Results:
- Mean FMS score was 16.6 ± 1.7; 10% scored ≤14.
- Scores ≤14 predicted any injury (Sensitivity=0.45, Specificity=0.71) and serious injury (Sensitivity=0.12, Specificity=0.94).
- Lower FMS scores correlated with higher injury risk in both LC and SC training groups.
Conclusions:
- FMS utility in medical in-processing for injury prediction was examined in a large active-duty military cohort.
- Further research is needed to evaluate FMS for injury prediction and prevention strategies.
