From: To tape or not to tape: annular ligament (pulley) injuries in rock climbers—a systematic review
Outcomes | Without taping | With taping | Number of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Conclusion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pain, after grade 1–3 pulley injuries | N/A | 90–91% of rock climbers reported no to minor pain after three months | 2/4 (before adjustment) 1/4 (after adjustment) − 0.5 inconsistency − 0.5 imprecision | There is very low certainty of evidence that taping reduces pain after grade 1–3 pulley injuries | |
Time to RTS, after grade 1–3 pulley injuries | N/A | 90–91% of rock climbers could RTS after 3 months | 2/4 (before adjustment) 1/4 (after adjustment) − 0.5 inconsistency − 0.5 imprecision | There is very low certainty of evidence that taping allows for RTS after 3 months after grade 1–3 pulley injuries | |
Bowstringing, at proximal phalange, in uninjured individuals & rock climbers with previous grade 1–3 pulley injuries | Bowstringing without tape ranged from 3.45 to 3.77 mm | Bowstringing was 15–22% lower with taping | 4/4 (before adjustment) 2.5/4 (after adjustment) − 1 serious risk of bias − 0.5 imprecision | There is low to moderate certainty of evidence that taping reduces bowstringing after grade 1–3 pulley injuries | |
1 rock climber with clinical bowstringing saw no effect of taping | 1 (1 case report [7]) | ||||
Shearing forces against A2, in uninjured rock climbers/individuals | N/A | Taping absorbed 11–12% of shearing forces against A2 | 4/4 (before adjustment) 2/4 (after adjustment) − 1 serious risk of bias − 0.5 indirectness − 0.5 imprecision | There is low certainty of evidence that taping reduces shearing forces against A2 | |
Maximum force at pulley rupture, in cadaver hands | Force at pulley rupture ranged from 153 N (50% pre-torn, subjects aged 50 to 98) to 569 N (intact, subjects aged 20 to 47, male) | There was no significant difference with taping | 23 pairs of fresh frozen cadaver hands (1 RCT [9], 1 CCT [29]) | 4/4 (before adjustment) 1.5/4 (after adjustment) − 0.5 risk of bias − 0.5 inconsistency − 1 serious indirectness − 0.5 imprecision | Taping does not affect forces needed for pulley rupture, very low to low certainty of evidence |
MVC, in rock climbers, with previous grade 1–3 pulley injuries | Reported as mean normalized finger strength in percentage of body weight | MVC in full crimp was 13% greater with taping; there was no significant difference for open hand | 12 (1 crossover trial [15]) | 4/4 (before adjustment) 1/4 (after adjustment) − 2 very serious risk of bias − 0.5 inconsistency − 0.5 imprecision | There is low certainty of evidence that taping increases MVC in full crimp for rock climbers with previous grade 1–3 pulley injuries |
1 (1 case report [7]) | |||||
1 rock climber with clinical bowstringing saw no decrease in MVC with taping | |||||
MVC & muscle activation, in uninjured rock climbers | MVC, one hand, full crimp, 24 kg in Jamar dynamometer; muscle activation measured with EMG | There was no significant difference in MVC or muscle activation with taping | 4/4 (before adjustment) 3/4 (after adjustment) − 0.5 risk of bias − 0.5 imprecision | There is moderate certainty of evidence that taping does not affect MVC nor muscle activation in uninjured rock climbers |