Medical Conditions
Let's explore some of the splints used to help with medical conditions.
- Flail arm splints are used for a brachial plexus injury.
- Wrist splints are used for carpal tunnel syndrome (CPS).
- Elbow splints are usually used post surgery or post trauma. There are two basic forms: static and dynamic.
- Resting splints are used for issues of flaccidity
- Dorsal protection splints are used in flexor tendon injuries.
Another general medical issue where splints are necessary are burns, specifically, hand burns. The splints used in hand burns are: wrist 15-30 degrees extension, metacarpophalangeal (MCP) 50-70 degrees flexion, interphalangeals (IPs) in full extension, with the thumb abducted and extended and also volar pan splints. Dynamic and static splints to position the pop phalangeal in flexion are highly used post surgery for a number of reasons or causes. The buddy strap is most commonly used after a sports injury, or fracture of a finger.
Figure eight or dynamic metacarpophalangeal flexion splints are used for nerve injuries, such as combined median ulnar injury. When a median nerve injury is sustained an opponens splint may be used, such as a C-bar or thumb post splint. There are a couple diseases that call for splinting, such as ALS, SCI, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. They use splints called balanced forearm orthosis and deltoid sling/suspension sling. There are splints used in neurological conditions, such as a stroke, or post stroke to be specific, and those are the cone splint/spasticity splints. Next, a tenodesis splint is used in cases of quadriplegic clients that have use of their hand wrist extension. It allows for grasping and holding to be possible for this type of client.
Functional splints, safe splints, ulnar deviation splints, and ulnar drift splints are used in arthritis, and a hand-based thumb splint is used for carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis. Next, silver rings splints or buttonhole splints can be used on the joints of the finger to help items, such as hyperextension, lateral instability, and flexion. A condition called De Quervain tenosynovitis and fractures at the base of the first metacarpal joint is where the thumb spica splint can be used.
Lesson Summary
A splint is something used to restrict, protect, or immobilize a part of the body and can be made from flexible materials, inflexible materials, or a combination of the two. There are a ton of splints out there to choose from for various conditions. The lesson has outlined a handful of the splints commonly used for a plethora of conditions. For instance, the flail arm splint is used for a brachial plexus injury, while the dorsal protection splint is used in flexor tendon injuries.
The splints as well as the conditions are seen with frequency; they all fall beneath the four reasons for splinting.
- Immobilization: to stop movement
- Mobilization: to gain movement
- Restriction: to restrict the movement for an area
- Torque transmission: to alter the force felt from an area
Splints are commonly used to help treat a variety of medical, neurological, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is for your information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
