OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate effect of repetitive wrist extension on grip strength in patients with distal radial fracture. DESIGN: Interventional study. SETTING: Patients who were admitted to the Department of Occupational Therapy, Fujisawa Shounandai Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-eight consecutive patients with a unilateral distal radial fracture participated in this study. INTERVENTION: Each patient was randomly allocated to either the experimental (n = 14) or control group (n = 14). The experimental group performed 30 repetitive wrist extensions with maximal isometric contraction of the extensors of their affected hands during a 6-min intervention period, whereas the control group did not perform the exercise. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Grip strength was measured just before and after the intervention period. Pain during grip strength measurements was also quantified using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Wrist extension strength was measured 10 min after the grip strength measurement. RESULTS: Grip strength increased immediately after repetitive wrist extension in the experimental group, but it remained the same in the control group. VAS scores indicated that pain was relieved only in the experimental group. However, pain was unrelated to strength production. CONCLUSION: The intervention used in this study might be useful during physical examination to reveal the potential grip strength of patients. The intervention may also be an effective warm-up training procedure in preparation for conventional grip-strengthening exercises.

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