The Use of the Functional Movement Screen™ in Preventing Injuries in Amateur Rugby Players

The Use of the Functional Movement Screen™ in Preventing Injuries in Amateur Rugby Players: A Longitudinal Prospective Study

Rugby is a team contact sport that demands unparalleled physical engagement. This practice, which combines random running patterns with changes in speed and direction, also involves frequent contact situations with other players. These phases of the game account for 48% to 80% of total injuries. Injury prevention is an integral part of the physical therapist's expertise and plays a crucial role in reducing the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries and mitigating their devastating consequences.

The implementation of a risk prevention tool is particularly relevant for a population prone to injuries. However, the practicality of such a tool must be considered, as adherence to an injury prevention program depends on the "perceived usefulness, intensity, and time investment of the program".

One tool appears to meet these criteria: the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™). This tool is designed to "evaluate an individual's functional movement patterns" and, according to its authors, can serve as "a crucial tool" for returning to sports after an injury or a period of inactivity. Given the high incidence of injuries in rugby players, calculating the injury incidence in this population and correlating it with FMS™ scores could provide valuable insights.

For this prospective study, forty amateur rugby players from various clubs in Normandy competing at the Federal 3 level will be recruited using a recruitment letter and a call for volunteers.

Each participant will perform two FMS™ (7 movements), at the beginning of the competitive season and at the end of the competitive season. The test will last 30 minutes per player. The initial interview will last 20 minutes. There will also be a follow-up of the players throughout the season to collect all injuries sustained by participants in the intervention.

The main expected outcome is a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between the FMS™ score and injury incidence. This correlation may then indicate a good predictive capacity of the FMS™, allowing it to be considered a predictive tool for injury risk.

To evaluate the correlation between two variables (injury incidence sustained by the player and the FMS™ score), the Spearman correlation coefficient will be used. This coefficient, if its value approaches -1 or 1, will indicate a good correlation between the player's injury incidence and their FMS™ score. Conversely, if the coefficient approaches 0, the correlation will be considered poor.

In a second phase, it is expected that a competitive season will directly affect the FMS™ score, highlighting the difficulty for an amateur player to maintain their physical capacities throughout an entire season.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Players licensed with the French Rugby Federation (FFR): Their affiliation with the FFR requires a medical certificate confirming no contraindication to competitive sports practice.
• Players aged at least 18 years old, legally adults.
• Healthy players who have not sustained any musculoskeletal injuries or undergone surgical interventions in the past 6 months.
• Players competing in "Fédérale 3."
• Players from clubs based in Normandy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Minor players
• Female players
• Players injured during the first interview or the first FMS™
• Players who are or have been professional athletes
• Players with a history of frequent serious injuries that could pose a risk to their continued participation