Can injury in major junior hockey players be predicted by a pre-season functional movement screen - a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool that is commonly used to predict the occurrence of injury. Previous studies have shown that a score of 14 or less (with a maximum possible score of 21) successfully predicted future injury occurrence in athletes. No studies have looked at the use of the FMS to predict injuries in hockey players. OBJECTIVE To see if injury in major junior hockey players can be predicted by a preseason FMS. METHODS A convenience sample of 20 hockey players was scored on the FMS prior to the start of the hockey season. Injuries and number of man-games lost for each injury were documented over the course of the season. RESULTS The mean FMS score was 14.7+/-2.58. Those with an FMS score of ≤14 were not more likely to sustain an injury as determined by the Fisher's exact test (one-tailed, P = 0.32). CONCLUSION This study did not support the notion that lower FMS scores predict injury in major junior hockey players.