Wrist and hand injuries in platform diving.

To permit a smooth entry into the water, platform divers assume a special position with their hands. An older method consists of hitting the water with both fists closed while holding one thumb in the palm of the other hand. In a newer technique fingers and wrists are hyperextended, the forearms pronated, and the hands overlapped. In this series of 21 divers, the injuries included 2 fractures and 5 sprains treated by conservative methods. Two divers required surgery: one with loose bodies in the radiocarpal articulation, the other with chronic rupture of the trapeziometacarpal ligament and synovitis of both extensor pollicis brevis and longus. Eighteen divers complained of pain caused by the impact of the hand with the water. A kinetic analysis with a video imaging system explains the mechanism and forces of water penetration.