The Utility of Functional Movement Screens in Military Personnel: A Critically Appraised Topic

Introduction/Clinical Scenario : Peak health and physical fitness are essential for military readiness across all military branches. Functional Movement Screen (FMS) composite scores are correlated with performance on military physical fitness assessments. FMS evaluates movement patterns and may help identify modifiable risk factors of service members to improve military readiness. Focused Clinical Question : Is the FMS able to identify modifiable risk factors that can affect military operational readiness? Summary of Key Findings : A literature review was conducted for articles including functional movement screens in military populations. The search included 52 articles within the last 10 years; 18 of those articles included FMS. Three cross-sectional studies specific to FMS performed in military populations were selected. Clinical Bottom Line : Research supports the use of FMS to identify modifiable risk factors and faulty movement patterns. Strength of Recommendation : Overall, there are moderate levels of evidence that support the recommendation for FMS assessments to be a part of standard evaluation tools in military populations.