How We Help People with Thumb Injuries
We are commonly contacted to assist with thumb fractures, soft tissue injuries and chronic conditions.
Our approach to management varies, depending on the condition and if it is an acute injury or chronic condition. In most cases, we are aiming to immobilize and support the injury site and surrounding joints (if required) whilst the injury heals and function is restored.
We provide prefabricated and custom made devices. Our services are available through our Melbourne clinics. We’ll help you choose a thumb splint that is suitable for your condition and lifestyle.
Thumb & Hand Healthcare Available
- Assessment and treatment of thumb/hand trauma including fractures, dislocations and sprains
- Post-surgical thumb/hand management
- Assessment, treatment & advice on chronic thumb conditions and management of pain
- Wound care management, education and supplies
- Advice and guidance about hand-writing and returning to activities
- Taking part in multidisciplinary care
Types of Thumb Splints
Please contact for an assessment and appropriate prescription of:
- Custom made thermoplastic thumb splints
- Thumb casting (fibreglass & waterproof)
- Custom neoprene finger and thumb splints
- Wrist hand orthoses
- Night thumb/wrist supports
- Ossur Universal thumb splint
- Ossur Formfit Universal thumb
- Ossur Formfit thumb OA day
- Ossur Formfit thumb OA night
- Hand / finger / thumb separator
- Functional resting splints
- OAPL sports thumb strap
Outcomes of Wearing a Thumb Splint
Thumb splints are primarily used in the conservative management of thumb conditions, they may help with:
- Appropriate immobilisation to facilitate healing
- Reducing pain
- Providing a sense of warmth and comfort
- Lowering the risk of recurring injury
- Are removable – allowing the patient to wash, ice or participate in physical therapy as directed by Allied Health professionals
- Avoid or delay thumb surgeries
A stiff fabric brace for broken or sprained wrists.
Conditions That May Require a Thumb Splint
Acute Injuries
Ligamentous injuries
- Skier’s thumb
- Sports injuries
- Gamekeeper’s thumb
- Radial collateral ligament of the thumb
- Ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb
Ligamentous injuries of the thumb generally require us to prevent the movement which created the injury at the joint, while allowing the rest of the hand to remain functional and the patient to participate in work and rehabilitation where appropriate.
Fractures
- Scaphoid
- First metacarpal
- Proximal phalanx of the thumb
- Distal phalanx of the thumb
Fractures generally require immobilisation for a period of time with a cast (waterproof or non-waterproof) or a thermoplastic splint to allow healing.
Chronic Injuries
Cronic Conditions
- Repetitive Stress Injury
- De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
- Osteoarthritis of the base of thumb
- Extensor tendon – Boutonnière deformity
- Carpal tunnel
- Postoperative support
Our focus is to provide a thumb splint so our patients can maintain the highest level of function possible, live with a good quality of life and recover!
Booking an Upper Limb Assessment
Orthotics Plus is an Australian-owned company founded in 2012. We are highly experienced in the Orthotic management of many upper limb conditions. Here’s why we’re a great provider:
- We provide detailed education
- Our clinicians are kind and caring
- We can review your x-rays from the hospital
- You can see a large range of splints at our clinic
- Our experienced clinicians can manufacture your thumb splint during the appointment if required
As a rule of thumb, Orthotics Plus is here to help!
FAQ
The use of premade or custom depends on the shape of the patient’s wrist and hand and their injury.
For smaller or paediatric patients or very large patients, we almost always manufacture a custom brace because we believe this will achieve better results than other solutions.
In complex, severe, fractures or extremely painful cases, we typically use a custom solution to maximise the fit for our patient, as this often translates to better outcomes for safety and pain management and a more intimate fit can provide better support
For ligamentous injuries and for patients who respond well to a prefabricated product, there may not be a need to upgrade to a custom splint or braces.