FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREEN NORMATIVE VALUES AND VALIDITY IN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES: CAN THE FMS (TM) BE USED AS A PREDICTOR OF INJURY?

Background: Limited information exists regarding injury risk factors for high school athletes. The Functional Movement Screen (FMSTM) has been used to identify functional movement impairments and asymmetries, making it a potential predictor of injury. Hypothesis/Purpose: To determine if the FMSTM is a valid predictor of injury in high school athletes and to identify a potential new FMSTM cutoff score for this population. Study Design: Prospective Cohort Methods: 167 high school athletes among several sports were scored using the FMSTM and were monitored for injury during a single season. Likelihood ratios were calculated to determine how much a subject's total FMSTM score influenced the post-test probability of becoming injured. Results: Of the 167 participants, 39 sustained a musculoskeletal injury. Of all component scores, the inline 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 FMSTM scores and injury status. Conclusion: The FMSTM may be useful for recognizing deficiency in certain movements, however this data suggests that the FMSTM 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.