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

Abstract

Subjective assessment of athletes' movement quality is widely used by physiotherapists and other applied practitioners within many sports. One of the beliefs driving this practice is that individuals who display 'poor' movement patterns are more likely to suffer an injury than those who do not. The aim of this review was to summarize the reliability of the movement screens currently documented within the scientific literature and explore the evidence surrounding their association with injury risk. Ten assessments with accompanying reliability data were identified through the literature search. Only two of these ten had any evidence directly related to injury risk. A number of methodological issues were present throughout the identified studies, including small sample sizes, lack of descriptive rater or participant information, ambiguous injury definitions, lack of exposure time reporting and risk of bias. These factors, combined with the paucity of research on this topic, make drawing conclusions as to the reliability and predictive ability of movement screens difficult. None of the movement screens that appear within the scientific literature currently have enough evidence to justify the tag of 'injury prediction tool'.

Interseason variability of a functional movement test, the 9+ screening battery, in professional male football players

“…However, the validity of the FMS as an injury prediction tool has been scrutinised recently, and with conflicting results 8 13 31 32. Based on the initial study by Kiesel et al 33 on the FMS in professional American football players, a total score below 67% was believed to represent an increased risk of injury 33.…”

Performance in the Deep Squat Test and musculoskeletal injuries: a systematic review

“…This systematic review was drafted based on the PRISMA [20] and Leeflang [21] recommendations Fisioter Mov. 2018; 31:e003126 and registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews with the number CRD4201706922.…”

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

“…Movement screening tools are widely used in fitness, professional sports, and as methods of assessing participants to determine underlying weaknesses or predisposition to injuries [1]. As one example, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is used as a pre-season screening tool in sports and as a baseline measure to identify poor "movement competency" and "faulty functional movement patterns" (i.e., joint mobility and stability deficits [2]).…”