The short-term effects of hot packs vs therapeutic whirlpool on active wrist range of motion for patients with distal radius fracture: A randomized controlled trial

STUDY DESIGN: Blinded randomized controlled trial. INTRODUCTION: It is generally accepted that heat is beneficial for improving range of motion (ROM). However, the mechanism of action is not clearly understood, and the optimal method of heat application has not been established. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To investigate the immediate effects of using a moist hot pack (MHP) vs therapeutic whirlpool bath (WB) for improving wrist ROM during a therapy session for patients with distal radius fracture. METHODS: About 60 adult patients, with a mean age of 54 years in the MHP group and 53 years in the WB group, with healed distal radius fracture were randomized into 2 groups of 30. Patients in group 1 were placed in an MHP for 15 minutes during therapy. Patients in group 2 had their arm placed in a WB and were asked to perform active wrist ROM exercises for the same period. This occurred for 3 consecutive therapy visits, with wrist and forearm ROM being measured before and after heat during each visit. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis of variance demonstrated that the canonical variate for ROM was significantly different between groups (F[6,53] = 6.01; P < .05), indicating that patients in the WB group had a significantly larger increase in ROM than patients receiving MHP application. DISCUSSION: Both WB and MHP improved wrist ROM during therapy sessions in this study, making both these acceptable options for clinical use when the goal is to precondition a patient for other treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who received WB showed a statistically greater increase in wrist ROM than those receiving MHP during a therapy session, although the difference between groups may or may not be clinically important considering the small changes in ROM observed in this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.