The Role of 3D-Printed Splints in Hand Injury Treatment

Challenges in Treating Hand Injuries

Injuries to the hand are often quite challenging to treat, given that the function of our hands is imperative to almost all activities and movements. Acute injuries have better prognoses than chronic or untreated conditions, which tend to leave the patient with impaired function of the hand and some disability. If diagnosed early and appropriately treated, they tend to have superior results with a better return to normal activity, with minimal deficits. Hand injuries can arise as a result of traumatic injuries or neuromuscular disorders and can leave the patient with joint deformities, weakness, contractures, chronic pain, and spasticity.

Conservative Treatment and Traditional Splinting

Conservative treatment usually involves applying various splints, which either provide rest to the affected joint or help to maintain the injured or affected joint in a functional position. Splinting of the hand in patients with neurological conditions is especially important because they provide a mild amount of force to the affected muscles, which allows for muscle relaxation, maintenance of muscle length, and the prevention of contractures.

Patient compliance is a major factor in the treatment outcome, which has proven to be an issue with the prescription of generic splints for patients. There are innate variations in sizes that don’t allow an optimal fit, and patients complain of discomfort.

The Impact of 3D-Printed Splints

With the onset of 3D-printed splints, some of these issues can be put to rest. These versions of splints have opened the doors for patient-specific and customized patient care, which moves away from the “one size fits all” process. This technology consists of three-dimensional scanning, modeling, and printing, followed by the joining of materials layer by layer to form a 3D-printed device.

Following the initial deployment of this technology in the treatment of lower limb conditions, with encouraging results, it was then used for the treatment of upper limb conditions. This also removes the requirement for the traditional manufacturing process of patient-specific devices, which is more time-consuming and carries a higher financial burden.

Clinical Benefits and Patient Outcomes

In terms of clinical use and patient-reported outcomes, these 3D-printed finger and thumb splints allowed a customizable fit for the patient, using materials that helped in reducing heat and, at the same time, maintaining their mechanical properties. This provided a higher level of comfort for the patient, with better breathability and less sweating, all of which leads to improved patient compliance.

3D-printed splints have proven themselves in the treatment of traumatic hand conditions, spastic conditions, muscular weakness, joint contractures, and chronic pain.

Potential Downsides and Considerations

It must be said that there are a few downsides to this technology as well. Depending on the setup and workflows, you might come to expect certain delays in production, as well as the fit of the splint. Surface scan captures of the hand might have mild degrees of inaccuracies, which might present some issues over bony prominences and patients with conditions such as tremors, which leads to splint adjustments.

Adjustments of 3D-printed splints of the hand and thumb seem to be inevitable, but even then, it has been proven that even with adjustments, this technique of treatment is superior to the traditional splint.

Importance of Proper Patient Education

When prescribing these orthoses, it is important to clearly convey to the patient the correct usage to avoid poor compliance, confusion, and clinical issues. The treatment of certain conditions often has strict protocols that must be followed in order to gain the best results, so it’s important to clear any doubts on the period of usage, the removal/application of the orthoses, and what must be done in the event of any complications. It is imperative that your healthcare provider helps prepare you for all likelihoods and helps avoid any untoward outcomes.

A Promising Advancement in Hand Care

It must be remembered that there are a multitude of treatment options available for acute and chronic conditions of the hand. 3D-printed splints for the hand are a fantastic option with promising results that have alleviated a significant amount of past issues with traditional hand splints.

In case you have not had much success using traditional hand, finger, and thumb splints, please reach out to one of our Rothman hand specialists, and they will be able to help you regarding this.