A self-administered survey composed of 20 questions related to medical history, martial arts experience, pressure-point strikes, and neuropathic symptoms was posted on a popular martial arts Web site. Several international martial arts associations were contacted and asked to distribute the Web address of the survey to their members. In addition, the Web address was listed on several popular online martial arts forums, and electronic mail messages were sent to 750 individuals who had previously requested information about pressure points from the host Web site. Survey responses were collected for 7 months after Web posting.
The survey instrument was designed to gather demographic information and medical history data from respondents in addition to information about their martial arts experience and any associated injuries. Questions addressed symptom frequency, duration, and locations. Symptoms evaluated included aching, numbness, tingling, and weakness. Descriptive terms evaluated included burning, dull, electric, sharp, and shooting.
Some survey questions were repeated with altered wording. If a participant provided inconsistent answers to related questions, all data from that participant was discarded. All results from individuals who reported medical histories (ie, previous illnesses or injuries) that could be the cause of their symptoms were also discarded.
The risk of symptoms associated with particular pressure-point strikes was calculated by dividing the number of individuals with symptoms in each body region by the number of individuals who were struck in those areas during martial arts practice sessions.