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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.

Background: High-intensity competition pressure leads to psychological problems for athletes, which need to be improved through intervention. We aimed to explore the influences of PETTLEP (physical, environment, task, timing, learning, emotion, perspective) intervention on the psychological state of athletes, and provide references for their psychological improvement. Methods: Overall, 120 basketball players were enrolled through the convenience sampling method from Shaanxi, Yunnan, Fujian, and the national basketball team in China from April to June 2022. PETTLEP-based imagery intervention was given to all athletes, and their psychological resilience, training state, psychological skills, anxiety, and depression before and after the intervention were evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Results: The psychological resilience value of athletes after the intervention was higher than that before the intervention (P<0.05). The psychological resilience index of athletes who trained for more than three years was higher than that of athletes who trained for less than 3 years (P<0.05). The athletes who trained for over three years felt better after the intervention concerning good feelings, self-efficacy, self-adjustment, and physical fitness recovery than before the intervention (P<0.05). No statistical differences in self-confidence, coordination ability, and motivation were observed among the athletes trained for different years before and after the intervention (P>0.05). The athletes who trained for over three years have shown better results regarding focal attention and cognitive regulation after the intervention than before the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: The PETTLEP-based imagery intervention can improve the athletes’ psychological skills, relieves anxiety and depression, and enhance their psychological resilience.