Aim: The rise in university students’ athletic participation has corresponded with an increase in musculoskeletal injuries. Functional screening presents a practical, non-invasive method for identifying individuals at risk. This study aimed to explore the association between performance in several functional tests—the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™), Y-Balance Test (YBT), Weight-Bearing Lunge Test (WBLT), and Davies test—and the history of sports-related injuries among active college students.
Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 120 student-athletes (55 female, 65 male; mean age 26.7 ± 4.67 years) at the season’s onset. Assessments included the FMS™, YBT, WBLT, and Davies tests. A structured questionnaire documented sports injuries sustained in the prior six months. Statistical analyses, including independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression, were utilized to investigate the relationships.
Findings: A significant proportion of participants, 26% (31 individuals), reported at least one injury, predominantly affecting the ankle and knee. Individuals with a history of injury exhibited lower FMS™ scores and demonstrated reduced ankle dorsiflexion during the WBLT (p < 0.05). The logistic regression model was significant overall (χ²(4) = 11.867, p = 0.018). The FMS™ (B = −0.173, p = 0.05) and WBLT (B = −0.223, p = 0.01) significantly predicted injury status, unlike the YBT and Davies test.
Conclusion: Both movement quality and ankle dorsiflexion demonstrated a significant association with injury history in university athletes. This suggests these specific functional aspects may offer more clinical insight than balance or upper limb stability for this population when assessing injury risk.