Effect of weight-bearing wrist movement with carpal-stabilizing taping on pain and range of motion in subjects with dorsal wrist pain: a randomized controlled trial

Key points

1. 01Rigid carpal-stabilizing taping added 8.6 degrees more active and 6.8 degrees more passive wrist extension than placebo taping over one week
2. 02Pain on a visual analog scale dropped 24 mm (54.5% reduction) in the rigid tape group versus 7 mm in the placebo group
3. 03Both groups improved, suggesting movement itself is beneficial, but rigid tape provided a clear additional effect
4. 04Intervention was simple: 10 repetitions of sit-to-stand weight-bearing wrist extension, once daily for 6 sessions
5. 05No adverse events were reported and adherence was 97% across all sessions

How it was conducted

Design

Randomized controlled trial

Participants

30 adults with dorsal wrist pain during weight bearing, PROM less than 50 degrees wrist extension, symptoms more than 2 months

Groups

Carpal-stabilizing taping with rigid tape (n=15) vs placebo taping with elastic tape (n=15)

Intervention

10 repetitions of sit-to-stand weight-bearing wrist extension once daily for 6 sessions over 1 week

Primary outcomes

Active and passive wrist extension ROM (ultrasound motion analysis) and pain intensity (100 mm visual analog scale)

Follow-up

Outcomes measured at baseline and after 6 sessions at 1 week

What they found

• AROM of wrist extension increased 12.6 degrees in the CST group vs 4.0 degrees in the placebo group; between-group mean difference 8.6 degrees (95% CI 5.3 to 11.9, P < .01)
• PROM of wrist extension increased 9.9 degrees in the CST group vs 3.1 degrees in the placebo group; between-group mean difference 6.8 degrees (95% CI 4.4 to 9.3, P < .01)
• VAS pain score decreased 24 mm (54.5%) in the CST group vs 7 mm in the placebo group; between-group mean difference -18 mm (95% CI -0.9 to -2.6 cm, P < .01)
• Significant group-by-time interactions were found for AROM (F1,28 = 28.83, P < .01), PROM (F1,28 = 32.54, P < .01), and VAS (F1,28 = 16.84, P < .01)
• Intrarater reliability for ROM measurement was ICC 3,1 = 0.99; MDC95 ranged from 1.32 to 1.47 degrees for AROM and 1.57 to 1.80 degrees for PROM
• Post-hoc power calculated at above 95%

Limitations

• Small sample of 30 participants, all young university-recruited adults, limiting generalizability to older or more varied clinical populations
• No functional outcome measure was included; clinical meaningfulness beyond ROM and pain is unknown
• Long-term effects were not assessed; follow-up extended only to 1 week post-intervention
• The biomechanical mechanism by which rigid taping produces its benefits was not directly measured or proven

Why it matters

For patients

People with dorsal wrist pain during pushing or weight-bearing activities may benefit from having a physical therapist apply rigid carpal tape before doing sit-to-stand wrist extension exercises, with meaningful pain relief possible within a week.

For clinicians

Rigid circumferential carpal-stabilizing tape applied in wrist flexion and worn during 10 repetitions of weight-bearing wrist extension once daily for 6 sessions produced clinically significant ROM gains and pain reduction exceeding the 20 mm VAS threshold in a small RCT.

For readers

This trial supports carpal-stabilizing taping as a practical, low-risk addition to exercise for dorsal wrist pain, though the evidence is limited to short-term outcomes in a small young sample and the mechanism remains theoretical.