ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to compare the side-to-side thickness and asymmetry in the lateral abdominal (LAM) wall muscle group between fencing players and matched controls. Twenty fencing players (10 males and 10 females) and 20 matched controls participated in this study. The resting thicknesses of the transversus abdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO), and external oblique (EO) of the LAM on both sides of the abdominal wall were measured in each group using 7.5 MHz linear array ultrasonography. Statistical analysis showed that the asymmetry of the fencers was 15% TrA, 13% IO, and 15% EO, whereas the control group showed 5% TrA, 5% IO, and 6% EO. The LAM was more asymmetric in the fencers than in the controls (p0.05). The thickness of the TrA, IO, and EO of the side-to-side LAM wall was more asymmetric in the fencers than in the controls. This suggests that clinicians may find benefits in providing scientific baseline data on muscle asymmetry when treating and managing fencing athletes.