We must all be familiar with the “hide-and-seek” game that children play with much excitement. Certainly, when we played the game ourselves, most of us did not enjoy being the “catcher”, that is, the person being blindfolded and asked to locate the others. The idea of one absentee sense organ did not appeal to us maybe. Similar is the case with elderly people who, as they age, experience a number of aches and pains or even suffer sprains and fractures frequently. For dealing with musculoskeletal conditions in the aged, a variety of splints and casts are used as short-term measures.
The thumb spica splint is an elastic bandage that is used for non-displaced fractures of the first metacarpal bone, that is the thumb, for three main reasons:
– To immobilize the thumb and wrist,
– To decrease their movement and thus reduce discomfort and pain
– To keep them stable by offering support for their healing.
By providing unrestricted movement and use of other fingers and the palm, the thumb spica splint prevents the other four fingers from becoming stiff, while at the same time providing space for inflammation. The thumb spica splint assists in the primary healing of thumb-related disorders and injuries like De Quervain’s syndrome, ligament instability, sprain or muscle strain, gamekeeper’s thumb, osteoarthritis, scaphoid fracture, and also is beneficial for post-operative rehabilitation, and post-removal of the casting of the thumb.
Elderly patients who use the thumb spica splint have to be monitored and proper treatment procedures have to be followed by family physicians or orthopedic doctors for their complete recovery. By prohibiting movement of the thumb and sometimes the wrist for a couple of weeks, the thumb spica splint prevents further damage and injury in that area. Designed ergonomically to suit the right or left thumbs, in soft, breathable fabrics with adjustable, extra strong straps, the thumb spica splint provides the necessary comfort, protection, and rest needed for the recuperation from thumb injuries, inflammation, or pain.