Examination of fundamental movement patterns and likelihood of injury in amateur runners from Opole region in Poland

Background: The most common risk factors for running-related injuries are mistakes, such as insufficient warm-up and stretching exercises, during training. Good preparation and proper training reduces the risk of sport-related injuries. Aim of the study: To examine fundamental movement patterns and likelihood of injury in amateur runners. Material and methods: Twenty-four amateur long-distance runners from Opole region (Poland) were divided into two groups. The first group comprised 12 runners from the club “Kotwica Brzeg”, who did a proper warmup before training and stretching exercises after training. The second group comprised 12 runners from other clubs who did not undertake any warm-up or stretching exercises (control group). Fundamental movement patterns were tested by the Functional Movement Screen test (FMS). Results: The mean FMS test score was higher in “Kotwica Brzeg” runners (17.08 points) than in the control group (15.50 points), but this was not statistically significant. The “Kotwica Brzeg” runners performed better in five of the FMS tests, but this was only significant for the rotational stability test. Conclusions: Runners who did a proper warm-up and stretching exercises achieved better results in the FMS test, which may reduce the risk of running-related injuries.