Correlation of the Score Obtained Through The “Functional Movement Screen” (FMS) Test with The Incidence of Musculoskeletal Injuries in Players of The Mexican Professional Basketball League (LNBP) During The 2023 Season

Abstract

Background. The assessment of mobility is important to determine the degree of functionality inherent in the ability to move and, therefore, sports performance. Likewise, mobility is related to the development of musculoskeletal injuries, but this is little known in professional basketball players. Objective. Correlation of the FMS score with the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in LNBP players during the 2023 season. Methodology. An observational, cross-sectional, analytical, prospective study was conducted on professional basketball players from the Mexican League who played during the 2023 season. Before the start of the 2023 season, the FMS test was performed on the players. Other useful information for the study was recorded: history of musculoskeletal injuries, presence of pain, or limitation to movement at the time of the test. After that, a follow-up was carried out throughout the 2023 season to identify if the players had any musculoskeletal injury, including fracture, muscle injury, connective tissue injury (meniscal, capsular, fascial, etc.), ligamentous injury, tendinopathy, and low back pain. A musculoskeletal injury was defined as physical damage to the body secondary to athletic activity or an event for which the athlete sought medical attention and resulted in modified training or required splitting or protective taping. The affected joint or body site (knee, ankle, elbows, shoulders, wrist, other) and the number of injuries during the season were also recorded. Finally, the information was captured in the SPSS v.26 statistical program to determine if there were significant correlations between the scores obtained from the FMS test and the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries. Results. Among the 27 players, the average age was 29.4±3.7 years (range 21-39 years). The overall incidence of musculoskeletal injuries throughout the season was 88.9%, only 3 players did not present musculoskeletal injuries (11.1%). The average was 2.7±1.4 injuries per player throughout the season. First-time injuries represented 69.2% of the cases and recurrent injuries represented 30.8%. 41.5% of the players had a minor injury, 36.9% mild, 10.8% moderate, and 10.8% severe. The mean FMS score was 14.5±1.8. The Pearson correlation between the FMS score and the number of lesions was r=0.084 (p=0.900). There were no significant differences in games lost, days out, and number of injuries, but there was a trend toward fewer games lost and days out in players with more than 14 points on the FMS scale. No significant differences were found in the FMS score by injury severity (p=0.472). The area under the curve for predicting moderate-severe musculoskeletal injuries based on the FMS score was 0.581 (0.419-0.742, p=0.359). In those over 30 years of age, a significant correlation of the FMS score with age was found (r=-0.406), but not in those under 30 years. Conclusion. The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries was high. Although the FMS score was not a determining predictor for its development, our study suggests its potential usefulness in identifying players with a higher risk of severe injuries, especially individuals over 30 years.