Functional Movement Profiles Of Police Officers From A Rural U.S. Based Law Enforcement Agency

Abstract

Police officers may be required to perform dynamic movements such as running, jumping, and lunging as part of their duties. Early identification of poor movement patterns in this population may mitigate injury risks associated with these dynamic movements.PURPOSE: To profile movement patterns within a police force and identify specific movement patterns associated with injury risk.METHODS: Thirty-eight (n=38) police officers volunteered to performed squatting, stepping, lunging, reaching, leg raising, upper-body strength, and rotational stability movements.RESULTS: Surprisingly, 89.7% (n=38) of officers scored below 14 points on their assessment. Greater than 85% (n=33) of officers were unable to perform movement patterns, performed them with compensation, or had pain throughout the movement for six out of the seven movement assessments.CONCLUSION: SFGS are very physically demanding events that may elicit maximal or near maximal heart rate responses regardless of position