The Functional Movement Screen and Self-reported Injury in Senior Military College Cadets

Area of Science:

• Military Medicine
• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Increasing musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) in the U.S. Military hinder combat readiness.
• Current physical fitness tests (PFTs) may not adequately assess injury risk.
• Evaluating functional capacity is crucial for understanding noncombat-related injury risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the relationship between Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores and musculoskeletal injuries in military cadets.
• To determine if FMS scores correlate with physical fitness test (PFT) performance.
• To evaluate injury incidence during the initial 10 weeks of military college enrollment.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-two freshman cadets (72 male, 10 female) participated.
• Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and an institution-specific PFT were administered.
• Injury and pain incidence were tracked via questionnaire over 10 weeks.

Main Results:

• Females achieved higher FMS composite and PFT scores than males.
• Ninety percent of females reported pain or injury versus 48% of males.
• No significant correlation was found between FMS scores and injury/pain within sex groups.

Conclusions:

• The composite FMS score is not recommended as an injury risk predictor or PFT performance determinant for this population.
• Cadets experience a high rate of injury and pain during initial enrollment.
• Females' superior performance on FMS/PFT contrasted with higher injury rates, questioning FMS utility in broad military application.