The effect of wearing a flexible wrist splint on carpal tunnel pressure during repetitive hand activity

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bloom T ; Gordon L ; Levinsohn DG ; Manojlovic R ; Rempel D
• Description:
  Carpal tunnel pressure (CTP) and wrist angles were monitored in healthy subjects during the performance of a material handling task, with and without a wrist splint. The 19 volunteers had no signs of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A fluid filled catheter inserted into the carpal canal and a two channel electrogoniometer mounted on the dorsum of the hand and forearm were used to continuously monitor CTP and wrist angles. During the repetitive motion, measurements indicated that the median nerve was exposed to elevated fluid pressure within the carpal tunnel. Use of the flexible wrist splint raised the resting CTP. The authors suggest this was due to direct external pressure on the carpal canal. CTP was not reduced by the splint during repetitive activity but the splint did reduce the range of motion of the wrist. As the use of the wrist splint had no effect on the CTP, the authors suggest that any benefit derived from the use of the splint must relate to other aspects of the physiology of the hand. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cumulative Trauma Disorders Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Carpal-tunnel-syndrome Cumulative-trauma-disorders Hand-injuries Humans Manual-materials-handling Musculoskeletal-system-disorders NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Personal-protective-equipment
• ISSN:
  0363-5023
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  106-110
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00218827
• Citation:
  J Hand Surg 1994 Jan; 19(1):106-110
• Contact Point Address:
  Medicine University of Calif., S.f. Sfgh Bldg 30 5Th FL San Francisco, CA 94110
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
• Performing Organization:
  University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19920801
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Hand Surgery
• End Date:
  19950731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3d5ff0a5d02d7bc919080f4dcef2100389653fe956d3491a65c3b58a0b555c8eb9cf6b435c9142d6dff8e19f68e5938fa80044ac0d02bc8ad940133d64f62c3c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205714/cdc_205714_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 448.33 KB ]