Effect of Different Wrist Braces on Tennis Performance

Overview

Tennis players frequently sustain wrist injuries and develop lateral epicondylitis. These conditions are often managed with wrist immobilization. The purpose of this study is to better understand the effect of two types of wrist braces on a person's tennis performance. Six subjects were recruited for this study. The study was performed in an indoor tennis court with Playsight technology. A ball machine was used to standardize the ball feed. Each subject hit a series of balls forehand cross-court with no brace, with a full wrist brace, and with the wrist widget. Ball speed, ball spin, and hit accuracy were measured. Descriptive and univariate statistics were performed to determine differences between groups. Subjects ranged in age from 15 to 47 years, 4 were male and 2 were female, and had variable amateur skill level. All six of the subjects were statistically more accurate in the control setting (no brace) than with the wrist widget by an average of 9.5% (p = 0.002). However, no other differences between groups for accuracy were observed. Five of the six subjects hit the ball with the same speed and all six subjects hit the ball with the same spin regardless of brace wear. A wrist brace (regardless of whether it's a wrist widget or a full wrist brace) may reduce a tennis player's accuracy by 10% but should not affect their ball spin or speed.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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