If you injure your arm, hand, wrist, elbow or finger, you may need a custom splint. Also called orthotics or orthoses, custom hand splints are constructed by certified hand therapists (CHTs) to fit your specific shape and needs. Summit Orthopedics provides expert custom splinting to the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
What Is Custom Splinting?
A splint is different from a cast. While a splint will also hold your hand or arm in place after a fracture or surgery like a cast, a splint is adjustable. Also called a half-cast, a splint does not fully enclose your arm.
Some patients may be in a cast and then progress to a splint when they need less protection for the injury. Other patients may be in a splint before a cast, as all custom splints can be adjusted to accommodate changes in swelling. Custom splints may also allow more motion during certain healing stages, making it easier for you to perform daily activities.
Custom splints are often made from thermoplastic material that is heated in warm water. Unlike pre-manufactured splints, custom splints are precisely molded to fit each individual. There are many types of splints and splint designs, including static splints, static progressive splints, serial static splints and dynamic splints. Your physician and hand therapist will determine the best type for your condition.
Conditions Treated With Custom Splinting
Custom splinting may benefit a wide range of medical issues affecting your upper extremity. Common conditions include:
- Arthritis
- Burns
- Chronic pain
- Dislocations
- Fractures
- Nerve injuries
- Repetitive strain disorders
- Strained ligaments
- Tendon injuries
- Torn muscles
Many types of hand, wrist, elbow or arm surgery require wearing a splint for a period of time as you heal.
Reasons You Might Need a Splint
There are many common reasons to use a splint, including to:
- Help with neuromuscular reeducation
- Increase functional use of the arm or hand
- Increase or maintain range of motion
- Prevent or correct deformities
- Protect damaged fractures, tendons or nerves while they heal
- Relieve pain
Custom fabricated splints can also be used to rest or protect a painful joint, give stability to increase pain-free functional use, or increase pain-free motion in stiff joints.
What Happens During a Splinting Appointment
At a splint appointment, the therapist will discuss your condition and medical history and review your physician’s order. Your therapist will then carefully measure the affected area that needs splinting and transfer the measurements to a sheet of thermoplastic. The plastic will be placed in warm water to soften; it will then be cut to measure. While it is still soft, the plastic will be molded to your skin and then tweaked to be more comfortable (such as smoothing rough edges). Typically, the splint is completed by the end of the appointment.
If your splint is not thermoplastic, this process may be slightly different. But you can rest assured the orthotic experts at Summit Orthopedics will still promptly create a well-fitting splint for your arm.
Discover how custom splinting at Summit Orthopedics can help you. Schedule an appointment.
