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Published on: September 28, 2018
The effect of wearing a wrist splint on shoulder kinematics during object manipulation
Amy G Mell1, Brian L Childress, Richard E Hughes
1Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, MedSport, and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-0391, USA.
Objectives:
To test the hypotheses that (1) wearing a flexible wrist splint while taking an object from a box increases known postural risk factors for shoulder disorders and (2) that the height of the front of the box modulates the effect on shoulder kinematics of wearing a wrist splint.
Design:
A controlled laboratory experiment with 2 factors (splint wearing, box height).
Setting:
Human performance laboratory.
Participants:
Ten consecutive healthy volunteers (5 men, 5 women; age range, 19-32 y).
Interventions:
Experimental manipulation of wrist immobilization and box height.
Main Outcome Measures:
Humeral plane of elevation, humeral elevation, and humeral axial rotation.
Results:
Wearing a wrist splint increased the maximum humeral elevation angle (P<.001), and the height of the barrier also increased the maximum humeral elevation angle (P<.001). The average difference in maximum humeral elevation between the splint and the no splint conditions was 6.8 degrees .
Conclusions:
Wearing a wrist splint while performing a job that requires removing objects from a box can increase risk factors for shoulder disorders. Workplace analysis should be performed to avoid secondary injuries before a patient wearing a wrist splint returns to work.
