{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T20:51:51Z","timestamp":1784148711626,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760659200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland","award":["RPW\/23525\/2025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RPW\/23525\/2025"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Grip control is a critical determinant of fencing performance, requiring both stability and precision. Traditional measures of hand strength, such as dynamometry, provide only a global estimate and cannot capture finger-specific load distribution. Yet, upper-extremity overuse syndromes, tendinopathies of the wrist and digital flexors are common in fencers, underscoring the need for more granular assessments that may inform clinical practice, especially in prehension contexts. Methods: This pilot study included eight elite \u00e9p\u00e9e fencers from the Polish National Team (age: 23.9 \u00b1 4.9 years; training experience: &gt;10 years) tested using a novel \u00e9p\u00e9e handle instrumented with five force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) embedded beneath each finger. Participants performed two 5-s maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) for each of the three conditions\u2014Pinch (thumb + index), Trio (middle + ring + small), and Whole (all digits). Standard handheld dynamometry was also performed to provide a global reference measure. Results: Maximal grip strength measured with a dynamometer (65.3 \u00b1 11.7 kgf) was substantially higher than finger-specific forces captured with the FSR handle (14.4 \u00b1 4.4 kgf). Isolated Pinch contractions (83.0 \u00b1 29.2 N) were significantly stronger than their integrated contribution within the Whole-hand condition (54.7 \u00b1 16.3 N; Z = 2.52, p = 0.012), whereas Trio forces did not differ significantly (p = 0.263). On average, radial digits (thumb + index) contributed ~39% and ulnar digits (middle, ring, small) ~61% of Whole output, with the thumb and middle finger producing the largest forces. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of using an FSR-instrumented \u00e9p\u00e9e handle to capture finger-specific grip contributions in elite fencers. Despite limited statistical power (n = 8), the observed effects provide initial quantitative evidence for sport-specific, digit-level assessment, showing potential clinical utility in detecting maladaptive load-transfer mechanisms and informing rehabilitation and injury-prevention programs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14207335","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T11:39:34Z","timestamp":1760701174000},"page":"7335","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Feasibility of Force-Sensing Finger Assessment in Elite Fencers: A Pilot Study with Clinical Translational Potential"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1244-1853","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Akba\u015f","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Motor Behavior, Institute of Sport Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1129-8741","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Paw\u0142owski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Motor Behavior, Institute of Sport Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, 40-065 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chen, T.L.-W., Wong, D.W.-C., Wang, Y., Ren, S., Yan, F., and Zhang, M. 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