Achilles tendon load during the fencing lunge

NewsBot · Nov 22, 2014

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Gender differences in the Achilles tendon load during the fencing lunge
Jonathan Kenneth Sinclair & Lindsay Bottoms
Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity. Volume 6, Issue 3, Pages 199–204, ISSN (Online) 2080-9999, DOI: 10.2478/bjha-2014-0018, November 2014

Background: Recent epidemiological analyses in fencing have shown that injuries and pain linked specifically to fencing training/competition were evident in 92.8% of fencers. Specifically the prevalence of Achilles tendon pathology has increased substantially in recent years, and males have been identified as being at greater risk of Achilles tendon injury compared to their female counterparts. This study aimed to examine gender differences in Achilles tendon loading during the fencing lunge.

Material/Methods: Achilles tendon load was obtained from eight male and eight female club level epee fencers using a 3D motion capture system and force platform information as they completed simulated lunges. Independent t-tests were performed on the data to determine whether differences existed.

Results: The results show that males were associated with significantly greater Achilles tendon loading rates in comparison to females.

Conclusions: This suggests that male fencers may be at greater risk from Achilles tendon pathology as a function of fencing training/ competition.
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Admin2 · Nov 22, 2014

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NewsBot · Apr 10, 2018

Comparison of neuromuscular and proprioceptive variables between legs during lunge in fencers
Gabriela Vasconcelos et al
Sport Sciences for Health 07 April 2018

Background
The fencer performs the lunge, an attack characterized by a forward push.

Aims
The objective of the study was to compare the neuromuscular and proprioceptive variables between the front and back legs during the lunge.

Methods
It was a cross-sectional study of 19 fencers. Measurement of the concentric muscle torque peak of the ankle muscles, as well as muscle balance, through the conventional ratio and functional ratio, was performed through the isokinetic dynamometer. The reaction time (RT) of the peroneus longus (PL), anterior tibial (AT) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) of both legs was collected from an electromyography during Lunge execution. Dynamic neuromuscular control of the ankles was evaluated by the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) in eight different directions.

Results
It was possible to identify a significant difference in the muscular torque of these muscle groups (p ≤ 0.05), as well as in the Conventional Ratio (p = 0.002) and Functional Ratio (p = 0.003) of dorsiflexors/plantiflexors of the back leg in relation to the front, that is, a decrease in the force of back leg. There was also no difference in the RT of the PL and AT (p ≥ 0.05), but have difference in RT of LG during the Lunge (p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, there is difference in the eight directions of the SEBT (p ≤ 0.05) comparing the back with the front leg.

Conclusions
The training performed by fencing athletes is not able to produce similar stimuli for both legs with regard to dynamic neuromuscular control, reaction time and concentric torque of the ankle musculature.
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NewsBot · Jan 19, 2019

Epidemiology of time-loss injuries in international fencing: a prospective, 5-year analysis of Fédération Internationale d’Escrime competitions
Peter A Harmer
Br J Sports Med Published Online First: 19 January 2019.

Objectives The study aimed to determine the risk of time-loss injuries in international fencing and to characterise their type, location, severity and mechanism. Variations in risk associated with sex and discipline categories are also examined.

Methods Data on participation and withdrawal due to injury from 809 competitions comprising the major events of the 2010–2014 seasons (inclusive) for the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime were compiled from official results. Athletes who withdrew due to injury sustained in each competition were contacted individually to obtain follow-up information including time lost from fencing participation (practice/competition) and sequelae.

Results A total of 176 injuries were recorded from 637 776 athlete exposures (AEs) in 85 686 participants (men=47 869; women=37 817) over the study period, for an overall incidence of 0.28/1000 AEs (95% CI 0.24 to 0.32). Men had significantly greater risk than women (RR=1.42, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.94); épée had a significantly lower risk than foil or sabre (RR=0.52, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.76; RR=0.47, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.69, respectively). The majority of injuries were sprains (40.8%) and strains (20.1%), which occurred in the lower extremities (72.4%); ankle sprains were the most common specific injury (25.3%). Intrinsic effort of the fencer (non-contact injury) was the most common mechanism related to a time-loss injury (47.1% of cases). The overall median time loss was 4 weeks; 32.1% of the injuries involved 2 weeks or less away from fencing participation.

Conclusion The data indicate that the risk of time-loss injury in international fencing is very low and primarily involves sprains and strains in the lower extremity.
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NewsBot · May 25, 2020

Human Body Dynamics Detection of Shock Absorption and Rebound Ability of Specialized Athletic Shoes
Chia-Yeong Lin
Source

For those who love sports, not only appearance but also functionality are important considerations in the design of athletic shoes. This is a study done on 12 subjects on a college fencing team and other sports teams. The subjects wear experimental specialized athletic shoes, including fencing shoes and other similar athletic shoes. Five kinds of shoes, fencing shoes plus four other similar types of athletic shoes, were examined for their shock absorption and rebound capacities. No significant difference between was found among them in the lunge test. However, there were significant differences between the two types of shoes in the 15 cm and 35 cm jump-down tests and extra heel support silicone gaskets in the fencing-like shoes tests. The fencing shoes proved to be the worst in terms of rebound ability in the 35 cm jump-down test. The fencing shoes had the best shock absorption but the worst rebound ability. In terms of overall performance, fencing shoes had the best shock absorption capacity. It is advisable for fencing shoes to be required during fencing training and at tournaments, but the severity of bounces, jumps, and squats should be lowered to avoid damage to the heel.
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NewsBot · Oct 14, 2021

Influence of base of support on early postural adjustments and fencing lunge performance
Anna Akbaş et al
Sports Biomech. 2021 Oct 12;1-13

The aim of the study was to examine whether the width of the base of support (BOS) has an influence on early postural adjustments (EPA) and armed upper limb and COM kinematics during lunging. Eight elite female fencers participated in the study. The displacement of the centre of foot pressure (COP) and kinematics of centre of mass (COM) were recorded using force platforms. The kinematics of the wrist of the armed upper limb were obtained using a 3D accelerometer. The results show that EPA were characterised by a very small COP displacement (about 0.6 to 1.2 cm). The COP amplitude showed a tendency to decrease with an increase in BOS width under reaction time conditions. In contrast, a greater BOS width was associated with a significant increase in COM acceleration at foot-off and peak COM acceleration during lunging also under reaction time instructions. The kinematics of the wrist were not influenced by BOS. The results show that in elite fencers, the upper limb movement is dissociated from the whole body movement. We suppose that a small COP amplitude is a postural skill which is integrated into the lunging skill and might influence the acceleration of COM.
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NewsBot · Mar 30, 2022

Asymptomatic foot and ankle structural injuries: a 3D imaging and finite element analysis of elite fencers
Congfei Lu, Yuxuan Fan, Genyu Yu, Hua Chen, Jonathan Sinclair & Yifang Fan
BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation volume 14, Article number: 50 (2022)

Background
Fencing is a highly asymmetrical combat sport, that imposes high mechanical demands over repeated exposures on the musculoskeletal structures, a primary cause of injuries in fencers. However, there are limited epidemiological studies on the structural injuries of the foot and ankle in fencers. This study aimed to investigate foot and ankle structural injuries, and explore how metatarsophalangeal joint structural changes may affect the mechanisms of foot and ankle injuries in asymptomatic fencers.

Methods
3D images of foot and ankle morphology using computed tomography were obtained from ten elite fencers. We then constructed finite element models of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in the foot of their trail legs. The validated models were used to simulate stress distribution changes from different ankle joint angles during lunging.

Results
The findings showed that stress distribution changes at the medial and lateral sesamoid may have caused sesamoid fractures, and that habitual and concentrated stress on the metatarsal bones might have flattened the sesamoid groove. This process may damage the integrity of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, and consequently affect the efficiency of the windlass mechanism in fencers. During lunging, different ankle joint angles of the trail foot increased the total stress difference of the medial and lateral foot, and thus influenced the lunging quality and its stability.

Conclusions
Our findings revealed that the asymmetric nature of fencing might have caused asymptomatic foot and ankle structural injuries, and finite element analysis results indicated that this might increase the incidence of the serious injuries if unattended. Regular computed tomography examination should be introduced to monitor elite fencers’ lower limb alterations, permitting unique angle adjustments in the trail foot without sacrificing technical or physiologic properties based on the exam results and reduce the lower limb injury risk.
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NewsBot · Feb 29, 2024

Shoe choice may affect fencing lunge attack performance
San-Tsai Wang et al
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Feb 14

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in attack time and lower limb biomechanics when performing fencing lunge with fencing shoes (FS) and commonly used court shoes (CS). Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate whether fencing shoes with a heel cup (FSH) could reduce lower limb impact. Thirteen female collegiate fencers who had participated in national-level competitions were recruited for this study. Participants performed the lunge on a human-shaped target while wearing FS, FSH, or CS in a randomized order. Biomechanical data were collected using a 3D motion analysis system synchronized with a force plate. A signal light, and an accelerometer were attached to the target's head to initiate lunge movement and detect hit moment for calculating attack time. Attack time was significantly shorter when wearing FS (0.92 ± 0.05 s) and FSH (0.93 ± 0.07 s) compared to CS (0.96 ± 0.06 s). The maximum angular velocity of ankle plantarflexion in rear foot push-off phase was significantly slower when wearing FS and FSH than when wearing CS. The maximum knee posterior shear force, maximum knee flexion moment, and maximum ankle medial shear force during the front foot step phase were significantly greater when wearing FS than when wearing CS. These forces were significantly reduced or nearly significantly reduced when wearing FSH, and there were no significant differences compared to wearing CS. The maximum ankle medial shear force during the push-off phase in rear foot was the greatest when wearing FS but decreased significantly when using FSH. However, this force was still greater than when wearing CS. Wearing FS resulted in a higher loading rate (LR) on the front foot. This LR was reduced when a heel cup was used but still remained higher than when wearing CS. There were no significant differences in the forward extension of body, maximum ground reaction force, or center of pressure displacement during front foot step and rear foot push-off phases among the three shoe conditions. Wearing FS can enhance lunge performance, and the use of a heel cup can effectively reduce lower limb impact.
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