A Comparative Study of Efficacy and Functionality of Ten Commercially Available Wrist-Hand Orthoses in Healthy Females: Wrist Range of Motion and Grip Strength Analysis.
Alejandra Aranceta-Garza, Karyn Ross, Miranda Buhler and 1 others
PMID 34286314WHAT IT FOUND
Off-the-shelf wrist splints tested in healthy women did not hold the wrist in the recommended 10 to 15° extension.
None consistently prevented wrist flexion. Grip strength decreased for every splint except #6.
Key findings
01The splints did not hold the wrist in the recommended 10 to 15° extension at rest, and none consistently prevented movement into flexion.
02Grip strength decreased for every splint except #6, with the largest reduction 34.2% for splint #4.
03Longer 23 cm splints and an extra wrist strap improved flexion control, with splint #3 giving the best flexion restriction at 86.7%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used ten healthy women, not people with arthritis, pain, or wrist dysfunction, so it shows immediate mechanical effects rather than patient outcomes. Two participants missed one week, so only nine women contributed data for splints #1 and #9. Testing measured immediate motion and grip only; it did not assess pain, long-term grip endurance, or daily activities. The splints were fitted by an expert team to achieve optimal fit, which may not match how patients put them on themselves. There was no way to quantify the quality of fit, so fit-related errors could not be measured.
Declared interests
Versus Arthritis UK fully funded the study. The authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude these splints are ineffective for patients with arthritis or pain. The study tested immediate motion and grip in healthy women, not pain, daily activities, or long-term patient outcomes.