Comparing Functional Movement Screen Scores Between Athlete and Non-Athlete Female Students

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores between athlete and non-athlete female students. Methods: Participants were 30 athlete female students (Mean±SD age, 23.36±3.10 years; Mean±SD height, 163.45±5.06 cm; Mean±SD weight, 57.40±6.43 kg) and 30 non-athlete female students (Mean±SD age, 25.00±2.36 years; Mean±SD height, 162.6±3.72; Mean±SD weight, 58.76±9.29 kg). They underwent FMS to assess their movement patterns. Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the mean FMS scores between athletes and non-athletes. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v. 22 software at a significance level of P≥0.05. Results: The Mann–Whitney U test results showed a significant difference between the total mean FMS scores of female athletes and non-athletes (P=0.001). Considering a cut-off point of 14, Results revealed that 66% of athletes 40% of non-athletes had a FMS score <14, while 93.34% of athletes and 60% of non-athletes had a FMS score >14. Conclusion: FMS can help identify the difference in movement patterns between female athletes and non-athletes. Higher FMS scores of female athletes indicate that non-athletes have poor movement patterns which suggest that they are more likely to be injured if they engage in sports activities.