The effects of counterforce bracing on forearm and wrist muscle function

Presented at the Sports Physical Therapy Section Team Concept Meeting, December 1991, New Orleans, LA. This study was supported in part by a grant from the United States Tennis Association.Many factors may predispose development of tennis elbow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two types of counterforce elbow braces on wrist and forearm muscle force. Subjects (N = 16) were randomly tested three times wearing no brace, brace 1, or brace 2 on a KinCom(R) isokinetic dynamometer for wrist flexion/extension and forearm pronation/supination for maximum peak concentric and eccentric muscle force at 60 and 240 degrees /sec. An analysis of variance for repeated measures was performed to determine any significant differences in muscle force for each of the three brace conditions or speed of testing conditions. There were no significant differences in concentric or eccentric muscle force of any muscle group tested in any of the three brace conditions. Significant muscle force differences were found between the two speed conditions in some instances. There were no significant differences between muscle force and the speed/brace interaction. It was concluded that neither type of counterforce elbow brace had any effect on ability of the wrist flexors/extensors or forearm pronators/supinators to generate muscle force in the normal population. Further research needs to be done to determine the effects of such braces in the involved extremity. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1992;15(2):87-91.