Effects of using rigid tape with bandaging techniques on wrist joint motion during boxing shots in elite male athletes

Objectives: To investigate the effects of bandaging techniques on wrist motion on impact during different shot types in elite male boxers. Design: Repeated-measures study. Setting: Field Experiment Participants: Two shot types, straight and bent arm, were assessed with 18 elite male boxers wearing either bandage only or bandage plus tape. Main Outcomes Measures: Wrist motions and time to peak wrist angles, on impact, were measured with an electromagnetic tracking system. Results: Wrist motion on impact occurred concurrently in flexion and ulnar deviation for both shot types. For both motions, significant (p < 0.001) effects for bandaging techniques (η2 = 0.580–0.729) and shot types (η2 = 0.165–0.280) were observed. For straight and bent arm shots, wrist motion on impact occurred within 50% and 40% respectively of total active wrist motion for bandage only compared to within 20% and 15% for bandage plus tape. Time to peak wrist angle on impact increased significantly (p < 0.001) for both shot types when adding tape to bandage. Conclusions: Adding tape provided an additional 25–30% reduction in wrist motion compared to bandage only, with a 1.2–1.4 increase in time to peak wrist angle, on impact for both shot types. This information could assist various individuals and organisations towards better hand-wrist protection.