FMS™ scores change with performers’ knowledge of the grading criteria – Are general whole-body movement screens capturing “dysfunction”?

Abstract

Frost, DM, Beach, TAC, Callaghan, JP, and McGill, SM. FMS scores change with performers' knowledge of the grading criteria-Are general whole-body movement screens capturing "dysfunction"? J Strength Cond Res 29(11): 3037-3044, 2015-Deficits in joint mobility and stability could certainly impact individuals' Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores; however, it is also plausible that the movement patterns observed are influenced by the performers' knowledge of the grading criteria. Twenty-one firefighters volunteered to participate, and their FMS scores were graded before and immediately after receiving knowledge of the movement patterns required to achieve a perfect score on the FMS. Standardized verbal instructions were used to administer both screens, and the participants were not provided with any coaching or feedback. Time-synchronized sagittal and frontal plane videos were used to grade the FMS. The firefighters significantly (p , 0.001) improved their FMS scores from 14.1 (1.8) to 16.7 (1.9) when provided with knowledge pertaining to the specific grading criteria. Significant improvements (p , 0.05) were also noted in the deep squat (1.4 [0.7]-2.0 [0.6]), hurdle step (2.1 [0.4]-2.4 [0.5]), in-line lunge (2.1 [0.4]-2.7 [0.5]), and shoulder mobility (1.8 [0.8]-2.4 [0.7]) tests. Because a knowledge of a task's grading criteria can alter a general whole-body movement screen score, FMS or otherwise, observed changes may not solely reflect "dysfunction." The instant that individuals are provided with coaching and feedback regarding their performance on a particular task, the task may lose its utility to evaluate the transfer of training or predict musculoskeletal injury risk.

Relationships between the Functional Movement Screen Score and Y-Balance Test Reach Distances

“…The participants were video-recorded from the frontal and sagittal planes and the trials were graded at a later time. This is a commonly used [6,[19][20][21][22][23][24], reliable [25] method for scoring the FMS. Participants were not familiarized with the FMS prior to testing as knowledge of the FMS scoring scheme affects performance [6].…”

“…Each of the tasks may be attempted three times. Coaching cues and/or corrections are not provided, nor are the specific grading criteria made known to those being assessed [6]. The clearing tests are each associated with a functional test: Shoulder Impingement with SM; Spinal Extension with TSPU; and Spinal Flexion with RS.…”

Reliability and Association with Injury of Movement Screens: A Critical Review

“…The authors also highlighted the difference between years of experience and the number of tests a rater has administered, stating that the latter is likely of greater relevance to improving reliability. Five studies [11,18,20,21,29] included information as to the raters' experience (years of clinical practice, number of FMS tests performed, or level of certification), which allowed comparison of test reliability based on these variables. Four studies [11,18,20,29] suggested the experience of the rater did not influence the inter-rater reliability.…”

“…Five studies [11,18,20,21,29] included information as to the raters' experience (years of clinical practice, number of FMS tests performed, or level of certification), which allowed comparison of test reliability based on these variables. Four studies [11,18,20,29] suggested the experience of the rater did not influence the inter-rater reliability. Additionally, Smith et al [11] observed good intra-rater reliability (ICCs [0.80) for all raters, regardless of experience.…”

“…Recently, it has been shown that participant knowledge of the scoring criteria can influence FMS total score [29]. Participants were assessed prior to and after having the criteria for a perfect score explained to them.…”