ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Limited information exists regarding injury risk factors for high school athletes. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) has been used to identify functional movement impairments and asymmetries, making it a potential predictor of injury. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: To determine if the FMS™ is a valid predictor of injury in high school athletes and to identify a potential new FMS™ cutoff score for this population. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective Cohort. METHODS: 167 high school athletes among several sports were scored using the FMS™ and were monitored for injury during a single season. Likelihood ratios were calculated to determine how much a subject's total FMS™ score influenced the post-test probability of becoming injured. RESULTS: Of the 167 participants, 39 sustained a musculoskeletal injury. Of all component scores, the in-line lunge scores were significantly higher for injured players. For shoulder mobility, scores were significantly lower for injured players. No statistically significant associations were found between total FMS™ scores and injury status. CONCLUSION: The FMS™ may be useful for recognizing deficiency in certain movements, however this data suggests that the FMS™ should not be used for overall prediction of injury in high school athletes throughout the course of a season. Normative data from a large sample size is now available in the high school athlete demographic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.
