README file

1. Title of Dataset: Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Fencers

2. Author Information

a. Corresponding Author Contact Information
Name: Professor Lindsay Bottoms
Institution: University of Hertfordshire
Address: Institute of Sport, De Havilland Campus, Hatfield, UK, AL10 9EU
Email: [l.bottoms@herts.ac.uk](mailto:l.bottoms@herts.ac.uk)

b. Author Information
Ashley Titan, Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Stanford, CA, USA
Katharine Holmes, Icahn School of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, New York, NY, USA
Lindsay Bottoms, University of Hertfordshire, Institute of Sport, Hatfield, UK
Peggy Chin, USA Fencing Association, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Kelcie Wittman, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Yusha Katie Liu, University of Washington, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Seattle, WA, USA
James Chang, Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Stanford, CA, USA
Amy Ladd, Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Stanford, CA, USA
Subhro Sen, Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Stanford, CA, USA

3. Date of data collection
   March 2023 until July 2023
  
4. Geographic location of data collection
   USA. Data were collected using an online survey of currently active USA fencers who had participated in an international competition within the previous year.

5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data
   This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

6. Competing interests
   The authors declare no competing interests.

SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION

1. Licences/restrictions placed on the data
   CC-BY

2. Links to publication that cite or use the data
   The associated manuscript is titled: Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Fencers.
   The manuscript is to be submitted to PLOS ONE.
   [Insert publication DOI/link once available]

3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data
   None

4. Links/relationships to ancillary datasets
   None

5. Was data derived from another source?
   No. The dataset was generated from original survey responses.

6. Recommended citation for this dataset
   Titan, A., Holmes, K., Bottoms, L., Chin, P., Wittman, K., Liu, Y.K., Chang, J., Ladd, A. and Sen, S. (2026). Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Fencers. University of Hertfordshire. [Insert repository DOI/link]

DATA & FILE OVERVIEW

1. File list
   There is 1 file:

fencing_hand_data.csv

2. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package
   The dataset contains 152 survey records, including completed and incomplete survey entries. The associated manuscript analyses are based on 142 completed surveys from eligible respondents.

3. Are there multiple versions of the dataset?
   No.

METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION

1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data
   This dataset was generated from a cross-sectional survey study evaluating hand and wrist injuries among elite fencers. Elite fencers were defined as fencers who had competed at a World Cup, Grand Prix, Satellite, World Championship, Pan American Championship, Pan American Games, or Olympic Games at Junior (20 and under) or Senior level.

Currently active USA fencers aged 18 years or older who had participated in an international competition within the previous year were invited to complete the survey using the web-based platform Qualtrics (Provo, UT). Two reminder emails were sent over a one-month period to encourage participation.

The 27-item survey instrument was developed by the study team under the guidance of a fellowship-trained hand surgeon to assess fencing-related hand injuries. The survey was pilot tested by a US Olympic Fencing Team member and a member of the Great Britain National Fencing Team. The questionnaire included items on demographics, fencing background and injury history. Participants were asked whether they had sustained a hand injury related to fencing at any point in their career and, if so, to provide details about the injury. These included the injured hand, age at injury, anatomical location, injury type, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, treatment, time lost from fencing and recovery outcomes.

Respondents were also asked to rate their recovery on a 1–100 scale based on their ability to return to fencing and fence at the same level as before treatment, with higher scores indicating a return closer to their pre-injury level of performance. Both structured multiple-choice responses and free-text responses were collected. No questions were mandatory.

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained through Stanford University, eProtocol #69811, with classification as minimal risk under expedited review. Participants provided electronic consent via the online survey before taking part.

2. Methods for processing the data
   Data were collected using Qualtrics and exported for cleaning and analysis. The dataset contains 152 survey records. The associated manuscript reports analyses based on 142 completed surveys from eligible respondents.

Because survey items were optional, missing data were present across variables. In the dataset, missing responses are represented by blank cells. Analyses were conducted using available-case methods, whereby respondents with missing data for a given variable were excluded from analyses involving that variable. As a result, denominators vary across analyses. No imputation was performed.

Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participant characteristics, injury patterns and treatment outcomes. Continuous variables were reported as mean ± standard deviation, and categorical variables were reported as counts and percentages. Comparisons of categorical variables were performed using chi-square tests to evaluate differences in injury prevalence across weapon type. All statistical tests were two-tailed, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Analyses were conducted using STATA version 17.

3. Instrument or software-specific information needed to interpret the data
   Data were collected using Qualtrics. Analyses were conducted using STATA version 17 (College Station, TX). The dataset can be opened using Microsoft Excel or equivalent spreadsheet software.

4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate
   N/A

5. Environmental/experimental conditions
   Data were collected via an online self-report survey. Participants were currently active USA fencers aged 18 years or older who had participated in an international competition within the previous year.

6. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission
   Ashley Titan, Katharine Holmes, Lindsay Bottoms, Peggy Chin, Kelcie Wittman, Yusha Katie Liu, James Chang, Amy Ladd and Subhro Sen.

7. Anonymisation
   Open-text responses were checked for identifiable details before deposit. No identifiable details are included in the deposited dataset.

DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: fencing_hand_data.xlsx

1. Number of variables
   18

2. Number of rows
   152

3. Variable list

a. Age, age of the respondent, years

b. Years fencing, number of years the respondent has been fencing, years

c. Gender, gender of the respondent, Male, Female

d. Handed, dominant hand of the respondent, Left, Right

e. Weapon, primary weapon of the respondent, Sabre, Epee, Foil

f. Have you ever injured either of your hands while fencing?, whether the respondent has sustained a hand injury while fencing, Yes, No, Not sure

g. Did you injure your front or back hand?, which hand was injured, Front Hand, Back Hand

h. How old were you when you injured your hand?, age of the respondent at time of injury, years

i. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands?, type(s) of hand injury sustained, Tendon Injury, Nerve Injury, De Quervain's tenosynovitis, TFCC injury, Muscle Injury, Ligament Injury, Other injury not listed

j. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands? – Tendon Injury elaboration, open-text description of tendon injury

k. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands? – Nerve Injury elaboration, open-text description of nerve injury

l. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands? – Muscle Injury elaboration, open-text description of muscle injury

m. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands? – Ligament Injury elaboration, open-text description of ligament injury

n. Which Injury(ies) have you had to your hands? – Other Injury elaboration, open-text description of other injury

o. Mechanism of Injury, open-text description of how the injury occurred

p. What interventions were needed?, treatment(s) received for the injury, Doctor's Visit, Wearing a brace, Physical/Occupational therapy, Habit Change, Oral Medications, Injections, Surgery, Did not require intervention, Other

q. Did you require any time off due to this injury?, whether the respondent took time off from fencing, Yes, No

r. On a scale of 1–100, at what level were you able to return after treatment?, self-reported return-to-fencing level after treatment, scale 1–100

4. Missing data codes
   There are no missing data codes. Missing responses are represented by blank cells.

5. Specialised formats or other abbreviations used
   TFCC = triangular fibrocartilage complex
   De Quervain's tenosynovitis = inflammation affecting the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist
   Years = years
   Scale 1–100 = self-reported level of return after treatment, where higher values indicate a return closer to the respondent’s pre-injury fencing level