The effect of various interventions on functional movement screen scores in football players: a narrative review

Purpose: One of the reliable methods to identify athletes at risk of injury is the functional movement screen test (FMS). Therefore, the purpose of the current research is to review sources to investigate the effect of various interventions on FMS test scores in football players. Methods: The search was conducted in databases: PubMed, Magiran, ISI, IranDoc, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies including any effective intervention on the scores of the FMS test in football players according to the PRISMA checklist between 2017 and 2022 and by combining the keywords "Functional Movement Screen", "Intervention", "Training", and "Football/Soccer" players" were obtained. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the PEDro scale. Results: A total of 50 articles were found, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 studies that investigated the effect of training protocols on the scores of the FMS test in soccer players were examined. Corrective exercises (1 study), FIFA +11 injury prevention exercises (5 studies), functional training (2 studies) and sport-specific training (1 study) were among the most important interventions that worked were taken. Except for 3 studies, all studies reported a significant increase in FMS test scores following the implementation of exercise interventions. Conclusion: The use of targeted training interventions to improve sport-specific movement patterns and FMS tests to identify athletes at risk of injury are recommended to athletic trainers.