Functional Movement Screen as a Predictor of Occupational Injury Among Denver Firefighters

BACKGROUND: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) is a screening tool used to assess an individual's ability to perform fundamental movements that are necessary to do physically active tasks. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of FMS to predict occupational injury among Denver Fire Department firefighters. METHOD: FMS tests were administered from 2012 to 2016. Claim status was defined as any claim occurrence vs. no claim and an overexertion vs. no claim/other claim within 1 year of the FMS. To assess associations between FMS score and claim status, FMS scores were dichotomized into ≤14 and > 14. Age-adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression. Sensitivities and specificities of FMS predicting claims at various FMS score cut points, ranging from 10 to 20 were tested. RESULTS: Of 581 firefighters (mean ± SD, age 38 ± 9.8 y) who completed FMS between February 2015 and March 2018, 188 (32.4%) filed a WC claim in the study time frame. Seventy-two of those (38.3%) were categorized as overexertion claims. There was no association between FMS score and claim status [odds ratio (OR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88 – 1.83] and overexertion claim vs. no claim/other claim (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.81 – 2.21). There was no optimal cutoff for FMS in predicting a WC claim. CONCLUSIONS: Although the FMS has been predictive of injuries in other populations, among this sample of firefighters, it was not predictive of a future WC claim.