Improved Functional Movement Skills Reduce Drop Landing Injury Risk Movement Patterns in Male and Female Youth Soccer...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a significant concern in youth sports.
• The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is used to assess ACL injury risk.
• The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) evaluates fundamental movement patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between FMS and LESS scores in youth soccer players.
• To determine if FMS performance predicts ACL injury risk as measured by LESS.

Main Methods:

• 105 youth soccer players (ages 13-16) participated.
• FMS and LESS assessments were conducted.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations and backward linear multiple regression.

Main Results:

• Significant correlations were found between FMS and LESS scores in the total sample and by gender.
• FMS significantly contributed to explaining 58% of the variance in LESS scores.
• Poor FMS scores were associated with higher LESS scores, and good FMS scores with excellent LESS scores.

Conclusions:

• Functional movement skills, as assessed by FMS, are important for reducing high-risk movement patterns associated with ACL injury in youth soccer.
• FMS may serve as a valuable tool for identifying athletes at increased risk of ACL injury.