Examining the association of injury with the functional movement screen and landing error scoring system in military recruits undergoing 16 weeks of introductory fitness training

Objective: To examine the association of injury with the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) in military recruits undergoing an intensive 16-week training block. Design: Prospective cohort study Methods: One hundred and thirty-two entry-level male soldiers (18-25 years) were tested using the FMS and LESS. The participants underwent an intensive 16-week training program with injury data recorded daily. Chi-squared statistics were used to examine associations between injury risk and (1) poor LESS scores, (2) any score of 1 on the FMS and (3) composite FMS score of ≤14. Results: A composite FMS score of ≤ 14 was not a significant predictor of injury. LESS scores of > 5 and having a score of 1 on any FMS test were significantly associated with injury. LESS scores had greater relative risk, sensitivity and specificity (2.2 (95% CI= 1.48- 3.34); 71% and 87% respectively) than scores of 1 on the FMS (relative risk = 1.32 (95% CI= 1.0-1.7); sensitivity =50% and specificity = 76%). Conclusions: There was no association between composite FMS score and injury but LESS scores and scores of 1 in the FMS test were significantly associated with injury in varying degrees. LESS scores had a much better association with injury than both any scores of 1 on the FMS and a combination of LESS scores and scores of 1 on the FMS. Furthermore, the LESS provides comparable information related to injury risk as other well-established markers associated with injury such as age, muscular strength and previous injury.