Functional Movement Screen Differences in Male and Female Footballers as an Injury Prevention Tool.

Overview

Football is definitely a sport commonly held across the world. It is played mostly at the professional level and as a leisure sport as well. Many countries organize football matches at different levels, and these matches include various age groups ranging from adolescents to young adults. As the participation in football is increasing it is also increasing the risk of developing injuries. It exposes the athlete to contact injuries and non-contact injuries. The intensity of the body's biomechanical and physiological reactions when playing football is enhanced because it has sporadic and irregular activity. This increased workload can increase the risk of injury. Many sport specialists perform movements which are related to that specific sport but the paradigm has been shifted to a more integrated functional approach which includes principles of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, muscle synergy and motor learning and it is important to inspect the basic fundamental movements as these occur throughout many athletic activities. Before participating in the sporting event, athletes undergo a comprehensive pre-participation examination which includes examination of health status, underlying medical problems and musculoskeletal system, it is a standard approach to injury screening. However, this does not evaluate the intrinsic risk factors which might be associated with the injury during field.

Functional movement screening (FMS) was developed by Cook et al. It evaluates range of motion, muscular imbalances and core strength by means of seven different movement. It is used to analyze the pattern of various fundamental movements and then highlights the limitations in that pattern and recognizes asymmetries in relation to that pattern of movement and eventually compares these inadequacies with outcomes that will improve a pragmatic approach to injury prevention. Prior studies reported that during pre-participation FMS can predict injuries in various athletes. Several research studies carried out by researchers in this area have been involved in the exploring the strategies that can enhance the efficiency and performance of footballers in the field and investigate the effects of injuries on performance. Studies including FMS as an injury and evaluation tool have subjects which includes athletes playing multiple sports and generally involved male footballers, but the studies comparing scores of FMS among female footballers with male footballers are scarce. With advances in society and knowledge of participation in sports, more women participate in sports events, and the pre-participation and injury of this particular population should be explored. This research will discover this particular issue and bring to light the needs of female footballers and contributes to recognizing FMS as a predictive method for injury.