Injury profile of Longsword fencing in Historical European Martial Arts

Introduction.Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) are a mix of historical martial systems.It has been growing in popularity and research on HEMA-related injuries is lacking.Reliable data is necessary.The aim is to give insight in the most prevalent injuries of HEMA, determine whether or not fencing in full protective gear generates risk compensation behavior and which types of protective equipment are failing. Material and methods.A retrospective questionnaire study in the Belgian -Dutch HEMA population, with questions about the obtainment of injuries, protective equipment modification and fencing intensities.Level of significance was chosen at 0,05%Results.In terms of injury rate (IR), 60 participants (22,3%) obtained head injuries.36,5% sprains, 28,3% strains, 10,4% fractures and 5,6% dislocations.40,6% subungual hematomas (swordsman's thumbs/fingers).Total amount of upper body injuries and lower body injuries were significantly different as were fighting intensity with minimal (5,56/10) and full equipment (8,00/10) (p<0,001).Most acute injuries are located at the hand, wrist and fingers, while chronic injuries occur at shoulders, elbows, knees and back.The most prevalent issues on protective equipment were at the heavy duty gloves (29,9%) and fencing mask (12%).Conclusions.HEMA has a specific injury profile other than other martial arts.Some of the current used protective equipment is lacking in safety.Frequencies of injuries can be reduced by proper mask fitting and more mobile hand protection is necessary.Full equipment fencing might be a victim of risk compensating behavior.More research is required.