The Relationship between the Functional Movement Screen and the Star Excursion Balance Test in Non-Professional Soccer Players

Soccer is a very popular sport with a high incidence of injuries. Clinical screening tools are an important component of injury prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between two screening tools, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), and whether there are differences regarding SEBT scores, injuries, and painful symptoms in participants below and above the FMS cutoff score of ≤14. The research was performed as a secondary analysis of a longitudinal cohort study and included 42 non-professional soccer players from Eastern Croatia (age 25.5±6 years, training experience 15.8±6.6 years). Participants were surveyed regarding their sociodemographic data, soccer playing, and FMS and SEBT tests were performed. They were followed for 3.5 months when an additional set of data regarding injuries and painful symptoms was obtained. Moderate to good correlation was found between FMS total score and posterolateral reach of dominant and non-dominant legs (r=0.503, p=0.001; r=0.525, p<0.001). Significant correlations were found between FMS total score and SEBT composite scores for dominant and non-dominant legs (r=0.486, p=0.001; r=0.453, p=0.003). Numerous significant correlations were found between individual items of FMS and SEBT. Participants with FMS score ≤14 had a higher occurrence of injuries and painful symptoms (p=0.018; p=0.034) and lower results of SEBT composite scores for dominant and non-dominant legs (p=0.010; p=0.001). There is a significant relationship between FMS and SEBT scores. Players with FMS scores ≤14 are more prone to injuries and painful symptoms and they have lower SEBT scores.