RESUMEN
Research indicates that the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) can be used to measure functional movement quality and characterize musculoskeletal injury risk in tactical populations. Although body composition has been linked to chronic disease in police officers, the link between body composition and functional movement quality has not been explored in this population. As such, the purposes of the study were to examine: (a) the effect of body mass index (BMI) on functional movement, and (b) determine the significance of fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) in predicting functional movement among active-duty police officers. Thirty-five active- duty police officers (31 male, 4 female; mean ±SD, age: 33.4 ±9.4 years, height: 177.4 ± 8.0 cm, weight: 88.4 ± 15.3 kg) were recruited to participate in this study, as part of a larger study on police fitness. All demographic data, BMI, FM, FFM, and FMS composite score (FMS CS) were obtained over two data collection sessions. With age held as a significant covariate, the results of the one-way ANCOVA revealed no significant effect of BMI category on FMS CS (p = 0.077). The linear regression analysis results suggest that FM and FFM contributed 36.9% variance in FMS CS while controlling for age (p < 0.001). FM was a significant individual predictor of FMS CS (p < 0.001), while FFM was not a significant individual predictor of FMS CS (p = 0.111). The current results reinforce the importance of police officers body composition management for health and functional movement quality across a career.
RESUMEN
CONTEXT: Although occupational injuries for police officers cannot be prevented, factors that contribute to musculoskeletal injury risk could be better identified to inform preventative interventions. Previous research has supported screening tools such as the functional movement screen (FMS) and Y-Balance Test (YBT) as possible indicators of musculoskeletal injury risk. The purposes of this study are to (1) examine the relationships between age, dynamic balance, and functional movement in police officers and (2) determine how much variance in functional movement is predicted by age and dynamic balance. METHODS: This study was conducted in a university research laboratory as part of an ongoing collaboration with a local police department. All data for the current study were collected across 2 separate laboratory visits within a 14-day period. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-five active-duty police officers (31 men and 4 women; mean [SD], age 33.4 [9.4] y, height 177.4 [8.0] cm, body mass 88.4 [15.3] kg) volunteered to participate in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional movement was assessed using the FMS, and FMS overall scores were calculated. Dynamic balance was assessed via the YBT, and lower quarter Y-Balance Test scores (LQYBT%) were calculated. RESULTS: There was a significant negative correlation between FMS overall score and age (r = -.641, P < .001). Correlations between FMS overall score and LQYBT% and between LQYBT% and age were not statistically significant. Age and LQYBT% scores significantly predicted FMS overall scores (F2,32 = 11.162, P < .001), accounting for 41.1% of the variance in FMS overall scores (R2 = .411) with age being the only significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that age and FMS overall score have a strong, negative relationship, suggesting that age may be a contributing factor to movement quality and may lead to an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury within this unique population.
