Functional Movement Screen Scores Are Comparable in Volleyball Players with and Without Back Pain-The FMS-VBP Study

Background/Objectives: Volleyball is one of the most common sports that require dynamic movements. Back pain is one of the most prevalent medical conditions. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is used to analyze motor skills, assess movement quality, and target preventive strategies. Therefore, we analyzed the differences in FMS scores among volleyball players with and without back pain. Methods: We recruited 79 athletes (23 [29.1%] females; age 28.8 ± 6.4 years, BMI 24.5 ± 3.0 kg/m²). Participants were required to be at least 18 years old and have at least 1 year of experience in training for volleyball. We stratified the population between individuals with and without back pain. All the subjects performed the FMS, which consisted of seven exercises. Participants with back pain additionally completed the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire. Results: In total, 31 (39.2%) athletes reported that they currently experienced back pain, and 67 (84.8%) reported that they had ever experienced back pain regardless of the degree. The population achieved an ODI score of 3.9 ± 6.1. In total, 20 (66.7%) participants rated their back pain as mild, and only 1 (3.2%) athlete graded back pain as severe. There were no significant differences in each exercise during the FMS between males with and without back pain (p = 0.07-0.97; p_adjusted = 0.56-1.00) or females without and with back pain (p = 0.30-0.90). Back pain did not influence total FMS scores in males (t(54) = 1.72, p = 0.09, p_adjusted = 0.72) and females (t(21) = -0.09, p = 0.93, p_adjusted = 1.00). Conclusions: Back pain is a common medical condition among volleyball players and most often has a mild course. Despite no functional score differences, the high prevalence of back pain suggests the need for prevention.