Bracing / Splinting

Pan Splint

This is an extremely important piece of equipment that many stroke victims utilize to provide comfort and maintenance of their affected arm, wrist and hand. Barb primarily wears hers at night when she is in bed. She wishes that she would have started utilizing this equipment earlier than she did because of the relief that it has provided. Further, Barb has been able to maintain a very natural looking wrist and hand because of the orthopedic maintenance this pan splint has provided.

Bracing for Exercise

Exercise equipment for rehab can be extremely important for recovery. No matter what type of equipment works for you, you may enable yourself to utilize this equipment more effectively through creative bracing. As illustrated on this website, Barb's uses an exercise bike to rehab both upper and lower extremities. The point here is that it can be helpful at times to get outside the box with therapists and other orthopedic entities to provide custom bracing that will enable you to use exercise equipment in a more comfortable and productive way.

Example - On the Rehabilitation page of this website, please look at how Barb's foot is strapped on the peddle and the support brace that she uses on the exercise bike handle.

Thumb and finger splints

Thumb and finger splints can provide a lot of comfort to a stroke patient as they do with Barb. She has been able to relax her right arm dramatically by splinting her thumb. It was obvious that Barb has a trigger point in this thumb causing spasm, additional abnormal tone and discomfort. By keeping the thumb in an extended position much of the tension and spasm is taking away.

Because of this little piece of equipment (illustrated on the right), Barb's quality of life is better by having a more comfortable and more natural looking arm.

AFO’s (Ankle Foot Orthosis)

Illustrated are a variety of AFO’s with various look and functionality. Initially Barb obtained a very prosthetic-looking and extremely expensive AFO during her in-patient rehab. It is important to continue to tweak the fit for the best functionality of this device. You should work with specialists in this area. We say this because there are also several off-the-shelf products that can be obtained inexpensively. Although the look may be similar, this is an area where you don’t want to skimp.

Additionally, feel, look and style can be addressed with this equipment. Many people feel that there is no getting around the institutional orthopedic look. This is not true! Barb has found comforting fit and functionality combining AFO’s with with fashionable boots and shoes.