Okay. I’m going to be buying a new splint for my ulnar drift and have narrowed it down to two. What I’m asking for is for members to give feedback on why they would pick one over the other, even if you do not have a personal need for such a splint. My ulnar drift would be considered mild to moderate, and my goal is for my hand to be pain free and useable. There is a $20 price difference but I am not considering that as a factor in my decision.
I would agree on the aesthetics of the polycentric and also the stays look more robust, although they may cause a bit more pinching on the palmar aspect if you are lifting/carrying. I also like the wrist strapping as this, I feel will help give the whole hand some support. Yes, this is definitely what I'd choose.
Thanks for feedback. Yes, I had some concerns about pinching except for one thing. . . I don't carry heavy things with my hands. Grocery bags and whatnot are all put on my arm and other things I place in my arms. The only thing that popped into my head as a potential issue was things like snow shovelling. Yes, we just dug out from about 18 inches in downstate NY.
Well if you do any more shovelling and have the splint by then I'd be very interested in how it performs. I'm not going to stop doing heavy work with my hands unless I absolutely have to, but I seriously pay for it sometimes.
Stoney said:
Thanks for feedback. Yes, I had some concerns about pinching except for one thing. . . I don't carry heavy things with my hands. Grocery bags and whatnot are all put on my arm and other things I place in my arms. The only thing that popped into my head as a potential issue was things like snow shovelling. Yes, we just dug out from about 18 inches in downstate NY.
I am very careful with things like pinching and friction on my hands because of my susceptibility to Koebner, in fact the first psoriasis in the middle of my right palm was down to planting daffodil bulbs with a hand trowel :-(
Looking forward to hearing how it goes, Stoney, whichever splint you opt. It's something I may need to think about for myself as I so often have pain across my mcp's and none of my current splints really help. I've certainly got some movement going on with my middle and ring fingers on the right hand. Haven't had hand x-rays since 2012 so this is on my list of things to discuss at my next rheumy appointment.
Just something else which has popped in to my head ... will you still be able to wear your ring splints for your dip/pip's?
Hope the snow clears quickly for you ... guess we'll be seeing the tail end of it in the UK in five days or so.
Thankfully I have no issue with Koebner, so that is not one of my concerns. In the middle of your palm? That seems like a really uncomfortable spot.
I think that what I'm going to do is get the polycentric hinged splint. I'm also going to see if I can get a referral to OT to get resting splints made for both hands. Much less expensive with my insurance to do it this way. The ring splints, thankfully right now I'm down to just the one that I started with, on the PIP of my left index finger. Even if I had more, the nice thing is that the ring splints are fairly low profile overall and should the splint shouldn't interfere.
I'll make sure to post an update. I've tried a few of the less expensive ulnar drift splints, but I have complaints with them.
Jules G said:
I am very careful with things like pinching and friction on my hands because of my susceptibility to Koebner, in fact the first psoriasis in the middle of my right palm was down to planting daffodil bulbs with a hand trowel :-(
Looking forward to hearing how it goes, Stoney, whichever splint you opt. It's something I may need to think about for myself as I so often have pain across my mcp's and none of my current splints really help. I've certainly got some movement going on with my middle and ring fingers on the right hand. Haven't had hand x-rays since 2012 so this is on my list of things to discuss at my next rheumy appointment.
Just something else which has popped in to my head ... will you still be able to wear your ring splints for your dip/pip's?
Hope the snow clears quickly for you ... guess we'll be seeing the tail end of it in the UK in five days or so.
I've had to give up a lot with my hands, including theoretically light work such as knitting. There is simply too much damage and too much strain. Thankfully the shoveling is done. I bought a new snow shovel and didn't buy one of the back saver types. I'm not sure what I was thinking but the muscle strain in my back is telling me that it might need to become the shovel for my kids.
Sybil said:
Well if you do any more shovelling and have the splint by then I'd be very interested in how it performs. I'm not going to stop doing heavy work with my hands unless I absolutely have to, but I seriously pay for it sometimes.
Do you drive much, Stoney? I needed to go out this morning and drove my car for something like 15 minutes but really struggled with the manoeuvering into a parking space in the carpark (hands, elbows, shoulders all protesting). I avoid multi-level carparks because I simply don't want to feel wrung out by the physical effort of getting the car in/out of them. And I've got a small car. It's depressing!
Anyway it got me thinking about the splints again because I'm not sure I'd be able to wear them and grip the steeing wheel very well or without the pinching. So just another possible consideration if you drive alot. Will be interested in your feedback on that too.
And yes, the P on my palms can be nasty. Just recently healed from a patch that started about a year ago. Still got a large plaque on the back of my thumb overlying the mcp, that's pretty persistent too. Hands are such a nuisance because washing them or being in/out of water makes it worse and harder to heal.