Association of Single Leg Bridge Test Scores and Hamstring Weakness with Pain, and Functional Performance in Amateur Players
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Abstract
Background: Hamstring weakness may contribute to pain, altered lower-limb control, and reduced functional movement quality in young football players, yet field-based evidence linking hamstring performance with pain and movement screening outcomes remains limited. Objective: To examine the association of Single Leg Bridge Test performance with pain intensity and Functional Movement Screen scores among youth amateur football players. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study included 82 youth amateur football players recruited from football clubs and a physiotherapy clinic between September and December 2024. Hamstring performance was assessed using the Single Leg Bridge Test, pain intensity using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and functional movement quality using the Functional Movement Screen. Because data were non-normally distributed, Spearman’s rho correlation was used to examine associations among clinical variables. Results: The mean age of participants was 16.2 ± 1.8 years, and 56 players (68.3%) were male. Mild pain was reported by 41 participants (50.0%), while 31 players (37.8%) had poor SLBT performance and 46 (56.1%) had average performance. FMS findings showed that 34 participants (41.5%) had poor scores and 19 (23.2%) had below-average scores. SLBT performance was strongly and negatively associated with pain intensity (ρ = −0.691, p < 0.001) and positively associated with FMS cumulative score (ρ = 0.303, p = 0.006). Conclusion: Better SLBT performance was associated with lower pain intensity and better functional movement quality, supporting the clinical value of combined hamstring and movement screening in youth amateur football players.
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