Correlation Study Between Anatomical Parameters of the Wrist and Ulnar Wrist Pain and Functional Status During...

To investigate the correlations between wrist anatomical parameters, ulnar wrist pain, and functional status among recruits during training.

Ninety recruits with ulnar wrist pain during training from December 2022 to February 2024 were selected as the study group, and 90 recruits without pain were selected as the control group. The wrist anatomical parameters (pisiform-ulnar distance, volar angulation of the distal ulna, ulnar deviation angle, and ulnar variance), pain condition (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] score), Conduct a stratified comparison of the wrist anatomical parameters, Cooney wrist joint scores of patients with different pain degrees among the recruits experiencing pain, as well as the wrist anatomical parameters and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores of patients with different functional states. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the wrist anatomical parameters and the VAS score and Cooney wrist joint score of the recruits with ulnar wrist pain during training. A multiple linear regression analysis was employed to identify the influencing factors of wrist pain and wrist joint function in recruits with ulnar wrist pain during training.

In the study group, the pisiform-ulnar distance, volar angulation of the distal ulna, and ulnar deviation angle were 2.36 ± 0.21 cm, 174.30 ± 1.01°, and 19.58 ± 1.75°, respectively-significantly smaller than those in the control group (2.66 ± 0.26 cm, 175.21 ± 1.20°, 21.26 ± 2.03°; P < 0.05). Conversely, the ulnar variance in the study group was 0.76 ± 0.22 mm-significantly higher than the control group's 0.35 ± 0.10 mm (P < 0.05). The mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was 5.12 ± 1.31 points, demonstrating a statistically significant increase compared to the control group (0.31 ± 0.10 points, P < 0.001). Concurrently, the Cooney wrist joint score exhibited a notable reduction in the study group when contrasted with the control group. Among recruits with wrist pain, significant differences were observed in both wrist anatomical parameters and Cooney wrist joint scores across pain severity subgroups, as well as in wrist anatomical parameters and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores across functional status subgroups (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that in recruits with ulnar wrist pain during training, the pisiform-ulnar distance, volar angulation of the distal ulna, and ulnar deviation angle were negatively correlated with the VAS score (r = - 0.613, - 0.711, - 0.659; P < 0.05) and positively correlated with the Cooney wrist score (r = 0.669, 0.635, 0.738; P < 0.05). The ulnar variance was positively correlated with the VAS score (r = 0.702, P < 0.05) but negatively correlated with the Cooney wrist score (r = - 0.816, P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the pisiform-ulnar distance, volar angulation of the distal ulna, ulnar deviation angle, and ulnar variance were influencing factors for wrist pain and wrist joint function in recruits with ulnar wrist pain during training (P < 0.05).

The anatomical parameters of the wrist are closely related to the ulnar wrist pain and functional status during recruit training and can be used as reference items for the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of ulnar pain.