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.