A mid-paced contemporary R&B ballad, the instrumentation of "Hands Tied" consists essentially of synthesizers, electric guitar, and a cascading piano line.

The song was released as the second single from Pulse along with the uptempo track "Make My Heart" and issued by Atlantic Records to urban radio stations on February 23, 2010 in the United States.

Braxton reunited with director Bille Woodruff to film the music video for "Hands Tied" which depicts the singer as a pole dancer on stage.

"[4] Braxton also appeared on NBC's The Today Show, also performing "Hands Tied" as well as "Unbreak My Heart" (1996) on the day that the album was released.

[9] Actors Michael Jai White, Cory Hardrict, Eric Balfour, Victor Webster, Robert Scott Wilson, Ryan Paevey and Jensen Atwood make cameo appearances in the video.