Liang Y-P1, Kuo Y-L1, Hsu H-C2, Shih H-I2, Zhang Y-H1, Tsai Y-J1
1National Cheng Kung University, Physical Therapy, Tainan, Taiwan, 2National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Emergency Medicine, Tainan, Taiwan
Background: Many occupational injuries can be occurred in the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) as working under high energy-consuming and hazard environment. Maguire and Smith have reported that the average annual occupational injury rate and fatal rate of the EMTs are the highest among all occupations that are about three times higher than other occupations. Functional movement Screen (FMSTM) has been developed to evaluate the quality of functional movement patterns, and can be used for predicting future injuries in athletes and firefighters. A lower FMSTM score may indicate a higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries. However, to date none have investigated the FMSTM performance in the EMTs, and the associations between physical functions and the FMSTM.
Purpose: To examine whether physical functions, including muscle flexibility, muscle strength, and balance could predict the FMS performance in the EMTs.
Methods: A total of 92 EMTs with mean age of 36.08±4.78 years participated in this study. All participants received the assessments for the maximal isometric strength of the lower extremity muscle groups (i.e., hip flexors, extensors, abductors, and knee flexors and extensors), muscle flexibility of the rectus femoris, back extensors, and hamstrings, Y-balance ability, and FMSTM. Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the contribution of the physical functions to the FMSTM performance.
Results: The averaged FMSTM score for the EMTs in this study was 13.88±2.98. The regression analysis revealed that flexibility of the back and hamstrings, and Y-balance in anterior direction were associated with the FMSTM score. The shorter back extensors and hamstrings, as well as the poorer Y-balance in the anterior direction contributed to the lower FMS score.
Conclusion(s): The current study demonstrated that muscle flexibility especially the dorsal plane of lower trunk and extremities, and single leg reaching balance in the anterior direction were predictive of the performance of functional movement patterns in the EMTs. The FMS score of the EMTs in this study were lower than a cutoff of 14 suggested from previous studies, indicating higher injury risks. Improving lower body flexibility and balance should be important for the EMTs since they are often required to deep squat or kneel on the uneven surface while performing their duties. More studies are required to investigate the associations between functional movement patterns and occupational injuries of EMTs.
Implications: The information provided from this current study can make better understanding of the associations between physical functions, functional movement patterns, and injury risk in the EMTs. This study further provides the background and rationale for designing injury prevention programs for the EMTs.
Keywords: emergency medical technicians, functional movement screen, physical functions
Funding acknowledgements: The work was supported by National Cheng Kung University Hospital(NCKUH-10603002), and College of Medicine at National Cheng Kung University(NCKUMCS-2016005), Taiwan.
Purpose: To examine whether physical functions, including muscle flexibility, muscle strength, and balance could predict the FMS performance in the EMTs.
Methods: A total of 92 EMTs with mean age of 36.08±4.78 years participated in this study. All participants received the assessments for the maximal isometric strength of the lower extremity muscle groups (i.e., hip flexors, extensors, abductors, and knee flexors and extensors), muscle flexibility of the rectus femoris, back extensors, and hamstrings, Y-balance ability, and FMSTM. Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the contribution of the physical functions to the FMSTM performance.
Results: The averaged FMSTM score for the EMTs in this study was 13.88±2.98. The regression analysis revealed that flexibility of the back and hamstrings, and Y-balance in anterior direction were associated with the FMSTM score. The shorter back extensors and hamstrings, as well as the poorer Y-balance in the anterior direction contributed to the lower FMS score.
Conclusion(s): The current study demonstrated that muscle flexibility especially the dorsal plane of lower trunk and extremities, and single leg reaching balance in the anterior direction were predictive of the performance of functional movement patterns in the EMTs. The FMS score of the EMTs in this study were lower than a cutoff of 14 suggested from previous studies, indicating higher injury risks. Improving lower body flexibility and balance should be important for the EMTs since they are often required to deep squat or kneel on the uneven surface while performing their duties. More studies are required to investigate the associations between functional movement patterns and occupational injuries of EMTs.
Implications: The information provided from this current study can make better understanding of the associations between physical functions, functional movement patterns, and injury risk in the EMTs. This study further provides the background and rationale for designing injury prevention programs for the EMTs.
Keywords: emergency medical technicians, functional movement screen, physical functions
Funding acknowledgements: The work was supported by National Cheng Kung University Hospital(NCKUH-10603002), and College of Medicine at National Cheng Kung University(NCKUMCS-2016005), Taiwan.
Topic: Musculoskeletal; Human movement analysis; Occupational health & ergonomics
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: National Cheng Kung University Hospital
Ethics committee: Institutional Review Board of National Cheng Kung University Hospital
Ethics number: AER105335
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
