Wharton Hand and Wrist Splints

Mallet splints

For both soft tissue and mallet fractures, and sometimes helpful for distal phalanx injuries aswell.
For mallet injuries patients need to be educated in how to clean their finger while in the splint. They have to take the splint off with the finger on a flat surface and lift up gently causing slight extension at the distal interphalangeal joint. The key is not to let the finger droop down while the healing process is going on.
For mallet injuries these splint should be worn continuously with no break apart from cleaning in the safe position.
These are usually temporary until a hand therapist can make a moulded thermoplastic splint which is kinder on the skin.

For central slip injuries patients should wear their splint continuously, and not allow the PIPJ to droop down at any time. For volar plate injuries they need to wear the splint continuously but they can come out of the splint to do exercises and clean their hand.
These are usually temporary until a hand therapist can make a moulded thermoplastic splint which is kinder on the skin.

Push and Jura are two common brands. These splints are hand based. When they first go on they don’t feel too comfortable but over time they mould with body heat. Patients should put them on and regularly re-tighten and re-tension them. After a few weeks they usually become very comfortable and are very helpful for pain.

Used for wrist injuries and tendinopathies to rest the wrist. They can removed for cleaning, and for exercises usually.
For CARPAL TUNNEL syndrome these splints should be bent STRAIGHT at the aluminium bar, as the carpal tunnel pressures are lowest when the wrist is in neutral rather than in extension. The bar can be removed and the splint can then be hand washed and left to dry.

For some tendinopathies such as De Quervain’s tenosynovitis resting the joints of the thumb can be helpful.
These splints can be removed for hand cleaning and exercises