Exam 4: UE Orthoses (includes powerpoint) Flashcards
What type of materials can we use to make UE Orthoses?
Same as LE Orthoses:
- Metal
- Plastic
- thermoplastic
- thermoset
- Leather (straps)
- Velcro (straps)
- Foam/padding
What are three main purposes of UE Orthoses?
- Immobilization (allows no movements)
- Mobilization (helps or assists motion)
- Restriction (allows some movements but not others)
**Mostly Serve same purpose as LE orthoses (except we do try to increase ROM sometimes in UE) Figure 14-2 on pg 394
What are four things for which immobilization might be a goal for an UE orthosis?
Immobilization (allows no movements)
- surgery
- fracture
- gross instability
- preventative (rollerblading hand braces)
More about Mobilization purpose of UE Orthosis
Mobilization (helps or assists motion)
- Trying to help move something
- In LE we didn’t try to change ROM
- In UE we will add parts of splints to slowly mobilize tissue
- Also includes Tenodesis splints that help use use the mobility we have better
More about Restriction purpose of UE Orthosis
Restriction
- Allows some movement but stops other motions
- Allows us to do one thing, but not the other
- Some can be bought OTC for massage therapists
Ten Cardinal Rules of Splints (will not be asked to list them on actual exam)
- Amount of Force: How much force do we need to apply?
- Involved Structures: What structure is involved?
- Involved Surfaces: Over what surface?
- Wear Time: How long are we actually going to wear the splint?
- Leverage: we know the longer the lever arm the more control
- Pressure: remember force/area
- Purpose: To what purpose are we making the splint?
- Goals: (to what goal?)
- Harm Prevention: Avoid harm
- Warning Signs: Always be cognizant of warning signs of a problem caused by said splint
Details on Amount of Force:
Force Amount: How much force do we need to apply?
- muscles may not as big in the UE compared to LE, so we might use too much force if not paying attention
- pain, redness, skin breakdown (worry about people who are insensate)
Details about Involved structures
Involved Structures: What structure is involved?
- muscle-tendon unit, bone
Details about involved surfaces
Involved Surfaces: Over what surface?
- volar, dorsal, ulnar, radial, do I need to past the wrist, do I need to go past the DIP, etc? LEs are typically easier than UE because they don’t have as many directions of motion
Details on wear time
Wear Time: How long are we actually going to wear the splint?
- Pt with carpal tunnel.
- maybe just at work, night splint will definately help them.
- how long do you want it to be stretched (when trying to mobilize)
- is it safe, is it functional?
- Wolffe’s law tells us low extended pressure over long periods of time should create tissue deformation.
Details on Leverage
Leverage: we know the longer the lever arm the more control
Details on Pressure
Pressure: remember force/area
- have we spread it out as much as we can
- straps big if possible
- consider boney prominences
Details on Purpose
Purpose: To what purpose are we making the splint?
- some will not be comfortable to pts (shouldn’t be painful, but might not be comfortable)
- Pt needs to understand the purpose
Details on Goals
Goals: (to what goal?)
- What is the goal for this splint (write a goal for it). Goal may change as time goes on.
Details on Harm Prevention
Harm Prevention: Avoid harm
- just because you can do that, make sure you don’t hurt them. Have we allowed the motions that we want so we are not creating other problems.
Details about Warning Signs
Warning Signs: Always be cognizant of warning signs of a problem caused by said splint
- pain (the biggest)
- Edema (straps too tight), or if they start having edema we need to worry about size of splint
- check cap refill
- Temperature intolerance
- overheated
- sweat
- There are thermoplastics that are perforated for breathability
- overheated
Describe the functional position of the hand
- wrist in 20-30 degrees of extension
- 35-45 degrees of MP flexion
- PIP joints 45 degrees flexion
- DIP in relaxed flexion
- Thumb in palmar abduction
describe the Anti-deformity position
- Wrist 30-40 degrees extension
- MP 60-90 degrees flexion
- PIP and DIP in extension
- Thumb in palmar Abduction
what is unique about the anti-deformity position?
Anti-deformity position is used after surgery because it is a middle of the road position for both flexion and extension (favoring extension? since it is easier to get back to flexion then extension - like in the knee).
If we keep it in this position for weeks it causes the least problems.
Imagine/Draw a Volar wrist cock-up splint?
Imagine/draw a dorsal wrist cock-up splint?
(Same as volar but on dorsal side of hand)
.
For a volar cock-up splint Imagine/Draw
- hypothenar bar
- metacarpal bar (what is another name?)
- forearm trough
metacarpal bar in this case is also called a palmar bar
For a dorsal cock-up splint Imagine/Draw
- hypothenar bar
- metacarpal bar
- forearm trough
How should the therapist position
the (palmar) metacarpal bar?
The therapist should position the metacarpal bar just proximal to the distal palmar crease and follow the natural angle of the distal transverse arch.
Note the rolled thermoplastic material around the thenar eminence (in the picture).
What do you have to be careful with when molding the end of the metacarpal bar that comes around the dosal part of hand (for a volar cock-up splint, shown in picture), or that comes around the palmar side of the hand (for a dorsal cock-up splint)?
Cannot have too much of a C shape (NOT the same as a C-Bar!) or it will dig in.
**The picture is showing how the metatarsal bar comes around back on a volar cock-up, and how it supports the hypothenar imenence.
**The caption to the picture says: “The metacarpal bar and hypthenar bar help position and hold the wrist.”
**Dr. bringman took the opportunity to tell us it would be called an ulnar gutter if the splint came up higher towards the dorsum of the hand than in this picture.
Imagine/Draw a resting hand splint
Pciture Caption: “A resting hand splint with the hand in a functional (midpoint) position”
**Dr Brinmant mentioned that he doesn’t agree that this looks like enough wrist extention for functional position
***Dr. Bringman also called this a Resting Pan Splint (see the quizz he gave us)
Name and Imagine/Draw four components of a resting hand(pan) splint:
The components of a resting hand splint are:
- Forearm Trough
- Pan
- Thumb Trough
- C-Bar
Imagine/Draw a long thumb spika:
What is something it could be for in particular (mentioned in the caption of the picture)?
Picture Caption: “A long thumb spica splint for de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis including the immobilzation of the thumb IP joint”
What are two things we need to be especially cognizant of when creating a long thumb spika?
Two related things
- Circulation
- check capillary refill
- Swelling
- could inhibit circulation or cause pt to get stuck in the splint
- make sure they can get their thumb out
- Pt is likely in inflammation phase, so splint needs to be adaptable enough for them to be able to get out of it if they experience swelling
- should try to wait until initial swelling has gone down before making the splint, but a flair-up could cause additional swelling (or the splint could become too big if the swelling goes down - but this shouldn’t happen if we wait long enough to make the splint)
- could inhibit circulation or cause pt to get stuck in the splint