Dynamic wrist joint protector for sports applications

Abstract

A novel brace for preventing wrist fractures in snowboarding was developed and validated. Commercially available wrist protection devices do not consistently prevent wrist fractures during high-energy impacts, limit mobility, and are used infrequently. A wrist protector consisting of engineered, textiles combined with energy absorbing materials to prevent terminal wrist extension during a dynamic wrist impact without restricting mobility in non-fall situations was constructed. The fibers of the textile were integrated with molded components that allowed them to be firmly affixed to the forearm and hand. Impact testing was performed with a linear rail drop tower to test the efficacy of the design concept for preventing wrist hyperextension. The prototype wrist guard and a commercially available wrist guard were mounted on a prosthetic arm hinged at the wrist and impacted on a snow-like surface at 2.4 m/s. Impact force, peak pressure on the forearm and wrist flexion angle and angular velocity were recorded. The prototype guard prevented terminal extension of the wrist for all drops. Loads transferred to the forearm were relatively low and were distributed across the contact area between the attachment and the surrogate forearm. The commercially available wrist guard was unable to prevent terminal extension at the loads and velocities used in testing. The prototype wrist guard was validated for preventing terminal wrist extension under dynamic loading conditions, and further development and testing of this engineered, textile design is warranted. © 2006 Springer-Verlag New York.