If you fracture or have surgery on a limb, wearing a splint may be a necessary component of your recovery process. It keeps your joints and bones in place to ensure that they don’t move and you heal properly. Unlike a cast, you can loosen or tighten a splint as necessary, so they tend to be a bit more comfortable.
Now, when it comes to splints, you have two options: custom or prefab. A custom splint is designed to fit your specific limb, while over-the-counter models come as is.
Below, we’ll explain a bit more about what splints do and some of the benefits to wearing a customized one.
The purpose of a custom splint
Custom splints are used to treat a range of conditions and injuries. Here are a few things they do:
- Reduce inflammation —Inflammation often occurs in healing joints when those joints are able to move around freely.
- Protect tender limbs —Bumping a healing limb or rolling over it while you’re sleeping can be very painful, but a splint will protect against that.
- Promote healing — Perhaps most importantly, a splint immobilizes your limb so that the joints or muscles are able to heal without interruption.
Why invest in a custom splint?
Here are a few reasons why we’re partial to customized splints:
- Removability —Splints can be removed for cleaning, which is a huge benefit they have over casts.
- Versatility —They can be molded to fit any arm of any shape or size. They can be molded in any position for any type of injury.
- Comfort —The healing process can be uncomfortable, to say the least. Having the option to adjust your splint by hand can make it a lot easier.
- Room for healing — Throughout the healing process, your limb may swell significantly. They can be adjusted to accommodate this swelling.
- Options —They can be made thick or thin, stiff or flexible. Prefabricated splints don’t give you as many options — you get it how it comes.
How to get a custom splint
At Performance PT, we provide splints for patients who are injured, recovering from an injury, or need to immobilize a limb for other reasons. Our orthopedic clinical specialists help patients find the most effective splint for their particular condition, and we create one that fits their body perfectly.
We can do the same for you. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.