Effect of body composition on Functional Movement Screen scores in elite youth male soccer players.

Abstract

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a clinical assessment tool used to determine musculoskeletal dysfunctions and asymmetries in athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether FMS scores differed between elite youth male soccer players with low body fat percentage and those with normal body fat percentage and between those with and without a history of soccer injury. Fifty-three elite youth male soccer players were included in the study. The participants' injury histories were recorded, followed by body composition assessment and FMS tests. The participants were grouped according to body fat percentage and injury history for data analysis. The mean age, weight and height of the participants were 17.11 ± 0.91 years, 68.78 ± 7.41 kg and 1.77 ± 0.57meters, respectively. Comparisons of the groups according to body fat percentage and injury history revealed no differences in FMS scores (p> 0.05). Lower body fat percentage did not confer an advantage or disadvantage to elite youth male soccer players in terms of FMS scores FMS scores provide limited information to predict injuries in elite youth male players.