Functional Movement Screen and Prior Injury in National Football League Combine Athletes

OBJECTIVES: Functional Movement Screen (FMS) testing is frequently used to assess deficits in range of motion, balance, and stability. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the results of the FMS performed at the National Football League (NFL) Combine were associated with a history of previous injury in the elite collegiate athlete. METHODS: Records from 1263 athletes participating in FMS testing at the NFL Combine over a five-year period were reviewed. Player position, injury history (including total number of injuries), the need for surgery, and number of games missed due to injury was recorded. Comparisons between FMS score, the number of asymmetries during FMS testing, position and injury history were performed. A one-way analysis of variance was performed with Tukey post-hoc comparisons to compare FMS score and position. Chi-square was used for all categorical and dichotomous variable comparisons. Spearman correlation was also used to assess the relationship between FMS, number of asymmetries, number of games missed and number of injuries recorded. The a priori alpha level was established at p ≤.05 RESULTS: Overall 1228 (97.2%) of participants reported one or more injuries. Average FMS score was 13.8 ± 2.4. Offensive and defensive lineman were more likely to score lower on the FMS (p<.001). No significant difference was seen between total FMS score and number of injuries (p=.806) or number of games missed due to injury (p=.714). A significant difference was noted between the number of asymmetries during FMS testing and number of games missed (p=.002), however when games missed was stratified between zero missed games and one or more games, no significant differences were noted. (p=.628). There was also no correlation between FMS asymmetries and number of injuries (p=.362). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that within elite athletes at the NFL Combine, no correlation exists between prior injury history and FMS score. A comparison between FMS asymmetry and the number of games missed was significant when games missed was not stratified, however when games missed was stratified the statistical significance was eliminated. There was no difference between asymmetries and total number of injuries. Caution should be exercised when attempting to evaluate an athlete’s FMS performance with specific movement patterns perceived to be reflective of past injury. Ultimately, further research is required to clearly outline the utility and efficacy of the FMS in the elite American football population.