Effectiveness of a Global Proprioceptive Training After Wrist Fracture

Distal radius fracture (DRF) is one of the most frequent injuries in the upper limb, corresponding to 1/6 of the total fractures of the body. It appears mostly in >50 years old women (due to osteoporosis and menopause) but it is also frequent in middle age men as a consequence of a big trauma during sport activities or working. This injury can be treated conservative of surgically, but regardless of the treatment, it always has a period of immobilization between 3 and 6 weeks.

The term "proprioception" was firstly described by Sherrington in 1906 as "perception" of body position and movement. The presence and quantity of mechanoreceptors in the joint determine its proprioceptive capacity. In the 1990s, the presence of mechanoreceptors on the wrist was described, and subsequent studies allowed us to determine that the dorsal and ulnar ligaments of the wrist have a rich innervation of mechanoreceptors. With these findings, we can hypothesize various clinical applications, both for working on wrist proprioception in the early stages of proprioceptive reeducation without risking tissue damage and for neuromuscular work after fracture consolidation, with the goal of regaining fluid and balanced movement. Previous studies on the ankle, knee, and shoulder have shown that the implementation of a proprioceptive program in the rehabilitation process can improve traumatic instability and pain. Given that the wrist shares similarities with these joints in terms of proprioceptive innervation, we can hypothesize that a specific proprioceptive exercise program for the wrist may be beneficial in the recovery after a wrist fracture.