Effects of the forearm support band on wrist extensor muscle fatigue

Study Design: A crossover experimental design with repeated measures. Objective: To determine whether the forearm support band alters wrist exten sor muscle fatigue. Background: Fatigue of the wrist extensor muscles is thought to be a contri buting factor in the development of lateral epicondylitis. The forearm supp ort band is purported to reduce or prevent symptoms of lateral epicondyliti s but the mechanism of action is unknown. Methods and Measures: Fifty unimpaired subjects (36 men, 14 women; mean age = 29 +/- 6 years) were tested with and without a forearm support band befo re and after a fatiguing boot of exercise. Peak wrist extension isometric f orce, peak isometric grip force, and median power spectral frequency for wr ist extensor electromyographic activity were measured before and after exer cise and with and without the forearm support band. A 2 x 2 repeated measur es multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the data, followed by univariate analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison tests. Results: Peak wrist extension isometric force, peak grip isometric force, a nd median power spectral frequency were all reduced after exercise. However , there was a significant reduction in peak grip isometric force and peak w rist extension isometric force values for the with-forearm support band con dition (grip force 28%, wrist extension force 26%) compared to the without- forearm support band condition (grip force 18%, wrist extension force 15%). Conclusions: Wearing the forearm support band increased the rate of fatigue in unimpaired individuals. Our findings do not support the premise that we aring the forearm support band reduces muscle fatigue in the wrist extensor s.