A thermoplastic splint is a custom-made brace made from light-weight plastic. These are made on the spot by your hand therapist by heating the plastic in hot water and molding it directly to your hand.
What is a Thermoplastic Splint used for ?
Thermoplastic splints are used to protect an injury such as a broken bone or ligament injury.
Splints may also be used to improve a person's ability to use their hand, or to prevent deformity in certain conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury.
What are the Advantages of a Thermoplastic Splint?
Thermoplastic splints are often much more comfortable than a pre-fabricated splint as they are custom-made to your hand. They are obviously far less bulky and much lighter than a cast. They also have the advantage of being removeable, which means, if your condition allows, it can be removed to check wounds, to perform exercises and to wash both the splint and your hand. Thermoplastic splints can also be remolded numerous times to adapt to changes in swelling, to ensure a perfect fit.
How much does a Thermoplastic Splint cost?
The cost of a thermoplastic splint will vary depending on its size and complexity. A small splint for a single finger is likely to cost around $20. A larger splint involving the hand and wrist is likely to cost $100-$120.
Although our hand therapists may make splint fabrication look easy, there is a lot of theory and many years of practice involved in making excellent splints. Our hand therapists have undertaken additional training in the fabrication of splints/orthoses, and our principal hand therapist has been training hand therapists in splint fabrication on behalf of the Australian Hand Therapy Association for more than 15 years.
If you think you may need a thermoplastic splint, please contact us today on 33967798 so we can get you on the road to recovery.