There are many situations in which the restriction of forearm supination and/ or pronation is required for effective management and rehabilitation of the upper limb post trauma. The Sugartong and Muenster splints are designed to prevent forearm rotation, while the general wrist splint and the Anti-pronation DRUJ splint are thought to partially limit pronation and supination active range of motion (AROM). This pilot study examines restriction of forearm rotation by the above splints.

Hand Surgeons and Therapists at the Orthopaedics Unit of the Princess Alexandra Hospital identified the Sugartong and Muenster splints as the most commonly used to restrict forearm pronation and supination.

The available evidence within the literature is limited, however following review of the Practice Forum in the American Journal of Hand Therapy (2007) the Anti-pronation DRUJ splint was included in this study, to be compared with the standard wrist splint.

These four splints were fabricated for five individuals, and AROM measurements were taken for forearm pronation and supination, at the initial point of sensory feedback, and secondly when the individual exerted maximum forearm rotational force.

Paired t-tests showed that the Sugartong splint was significantly more restrictive in pronation than the Muenster. Of clinical importance, both these splints provide similar restriction of AROM, however do not completely immobilise the forearm. The anti-pronation DRUJ splint provided significantly greater restriction in pronation than the standard wrist splint.The point of sensory feedback in pronation was recorded as <30 degrees when using the Anti-pronation DRUJ splint, as reported in the Practice Forum.