Wrist Support Does Not Prevent Wrist Injury or Pain but May be Therapeutic for Existing Wrist Pain in Female Gymnasts

Abstract

Objective: To determine effects of wrist support use by female gymnasts based on self-reported wrist support use, wrist pain, and wrist injury to provide foundational data for designing subsequent prospective studies aimed at optimizing use of wrist support in gymnastics. Methods: A survey was distributed to current and former female gymnasts. Data collection was carried out using a commercially available electronic platform with de-identified data collected from participants. Descriptive statistics were calculated and comparisons for statistically significant (p<0.05) differences among variables of interest were determined. Results: In total, 343 female gymnasts (149 current and 194 former athletes) completed the questionnaire. Overall, 81.9% reported wrist injury/pain (mean number of 2.6 wrist injuries per injured athlete). Also, 61% of athletes reported using wrist support and 78.7% reported less pain with wrist support use; 39.3% reported needing to adjust the pre-designed wrist brace with additional tape/inserts to provide adequate support. In addition, 93% of former athletes experienced wrist pain/injury (mean number of 1.9 wrist injuries per injured athlete). A significantly higher proportion of former athletes used wrist support compared to current athletes (p=0.0017). Further, 91% of former gymnasts noted wrist injury and/or pain despite wrist support use, and 39.4% of athletes modified their supports in attempt to improve their symptoms. Conclusion: Results of the study support previous data denoting high incidence of wrist injuries and wrist pain in female gymnasts and suggest that wrist braces and/or taping was not associated with prevention of wrist injuries or pain but did mitigate existing wrist pain.