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The Effect of Circumferential Taping on Flexor Tendon Pulley Failure in Rock Climbers

Winston J. Warme, LTC, MC USA^*, and Daniel Brooks

^* William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas
U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio, Texas

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Winston J. Warme, MD, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedics, 5005 North Piedras Street, El Paso, TX 79920–5001

The purpose of this study was to determine whether circumferential taping of the base of the finger increases the A2 pulley’s load to failure in a model simulating a rock climber’s grip. Nine pairs of fresh-frozen cadaveric hands, 20 to 47 years of age, were rigidly mounted in a specialized jig that maintained the finger in the climber’s "crimp" position. Two of the four fingers of each hand were reinforced over the A2 pulley with three wraps of cloth adhesive tape. The flexor digitorum profundus and superficialis tendons were distracted until pulley or tendon failure. Overall, A2 pulley strength was greater in male specimens than in female specimens, and the A2 pulley of the small finger was the weakest tested. The A2 pulley failed simultaneously with the A3 and A4 pulleys in 55% of the tests. In the remaining trials, a single pulley failed initially followed by the remainder of the sheath. Of the 72 fingers studied, complete data were available for comparison of 22 pairs of fingers. No statistically significant difference in load to A2 pulley failure was noted between the taped and untaped finger pairs. Based on our findings we do not support taping the base of the fingers as a prophylactic measure against flexor tendon sheath injury in the climbing athlete.