Effects of using rigid tape with bandaging techniques on wrist joint motion during boxing shots in elite male athletes.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effects of bandaging techniques on wrist motion on impact during different shot types in elite male boxers.

DESIGN

Repeated-measures study.

SETTING

Field Experiment

PARTICIPANTS

Two shot types, straight and bent arm, were assessed with 18 elite male boxers wearing either bandage only or bandage plus tape.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Wrist motions and time to peak wrist angles, on impact, were measured with an electromagnetic tracking system.

RESULTS

Wrist motion on impact occurred concurrently in flexion and ulnar deviation for both shot types. For both motions, significant (p < 0.001) effects for bandaging techniques (η2 = 0.580-0.729) and shot types (η2 = 0.165-0.280) were observed. For straight and bent arm shots, wrist motion on impact occurred within 50% and 40% respectively of total active wrist motion for bandage only compared to within 20% and 15% for bandage plus tape. Time to peak wrist angle on impact increased significantly (p < 0.001) for both shot types when adding tape to bandage.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding tape provided an additional 25-30% reduction in wrist motion compared to bandage only, with a 1.2-1.4 increase in time to peak wrist angle, on impact for both shot types. This information could assist various individuals and organisations towards better hand-wrist protection.