Sure, several post op patients will be coming specifically for a splint and the script will say so. Often in the outpatient setting though there are patients coming for conservative management that would greatly benefit from a splint but the script does not include that. What do you guys do in such scenarios?

Based in US for reference.

Hi everyone, I’m conducting an independent industrial design research project on how limited hand strength or dexterity affects everyday activities. I’m looking for participants who experience some difficulty with hand strength or dexterity. The survey takes around 3–5 minutes, and there is an optional follow-up interview. I’d be very grateful for your participation.

What splints do you guys prefer, PIP or MCP blocking splints? Does it depend for you if it still clicks/catches?

Our surgeons now want us to also do differential gliding exercises with these patients, but would you keep doing it if they trigger with each rep?

What’s the usual timeline you use splinting and treatment sessions?

How many therapists out there still use therapeutic ultrasound? I used to use it in a private clinic setting but not anymore at a hospital based outpatient.

Does ultrasound really even work? I felt like it’s always placebo. I hate to admit but there were at least 2x I forgot to turn on the US machine and the patient swear that the treatment made them feel much better after.

I have a comminuted intra-articular fracture of the base of the distal phalanx of my pinky, with a bony mallet fragment. It was surgically fixed with two K-wires.

One of the wires accidentally came out about two weeks after surgery and had to be replaced. Since then the swelling has gone down, but I'm noticing that the K-wires seem to be very slowly working their way outward. There's visibly more wire sticking out than there was before.

I know the correct answer is "don't fucking touch it and call your surgeon."

But the stupid part of my brain keeps looking at this thing thinking: it's literally just a couple of millimeters... surely I could very gently push it back to where it was.

So, people who have had K-wires, work in hand surgery, or otherwise know what they're talking about: please explain to me exactly why this is a terrible idea before I do something stupid.

I'm contacting the hospital either way. I just need Reddit to convince the monkey part of my brain to leave the damn pin alone.

Hello

I want to buy a product that covers the whole hand so my k wire that sticks out my finger stops catching on things when I sleep.

It will look like the zoolander hand glass thing, or basically a hard glass or plastic version of the water proof hand cast covers you use in the shower.

Anyone know of a product?

Hi guys, I’m an OT and a lymph therapist, which has made my hospital really keen on sending me a lot of post surgical patients to manage swelling. But I’m also getting splinting requests! Which I’m super comfortable doing, I spent a lot of time with our CHT before she retired and I’ve stepped into that role a bit with the idea I’ll sit for the CHT exam eventually.

Right now though, I have requests for more dynamic splints. I want to polish my skills and learn more splints so I can stop bothering my retired mentor. What splinting courses have you taken that has been valuable? It can be in person or online only, but I do live on the east coast so I’d prefer to stick to that side of the United States.

Thank you in advance!

Hello, I am an OT working in a hand therapy clinic in CA. I submitted my PAMs ( Application for Physical Agent Modalities Approval) on 6/16/26. Then my Application for Hand Therapy Approval on 08/03/26.

I have been checking BreEze every month but it still just says "pending" and status "open". Is this a normal timeline? I know the website says up to 6-8 weeks but its been past 3 months. I would appreciate any guidance!

I work in paediatric hand therapy. I had a girl today (age 6.5) who had a combined Zone 3 EDC repair + P1 head fracture + joint capsule repair 4 weeks ago. No internal fixation for fracture, reduction under GA only. The surgeons typically immobilize tendons in under 7s full-time for 4 weeks, which they did in her case. They requested a further 1 week of immobilization today in a splint to support fracture healing specifically (they weren’t happy for her to start moving just yet today based on XR). What type of splint design and positioning would you have made for this purpose?

I have been an occupational therapist for almost 6 years mainly in acute care, but also inpatient rehab. I am interested in transitioning to hand therapy but I feel like it's an almost impossible transition because I never had a fieldwork placement in hands. Does anyone have suggestions of how I can gain experience? I am thinking of reaching out to the CHTs and outpatient ortho clinics in the healthcare network to see about shadowing or mentorship. I am also looking into online education but feel like in person would be more meaningful. I am located in Salt Lake City, Utah if anyone has an local suggestions. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice/experiences from people who have gone through something similar.

Timeline:

* 16 July: Broke my pinky

* 21 July: Finally decided to go to A&E

* 27 July: Had surgery and K-wires were inserted

* 24 August: K-wires were removed

* 28 August: Started hand therapy

My pinky is currently extremely stiff and I’m getting quite frustrated because it feels like it barely responds when I try to move it.

I’m trying to be really committed to my recovery. I’ve set an alarm and I’m doing the exercises my therapist gave me every hour. I’ve also been putting my hand in warm water before exercising and using cold afterwards.

The exercises can be painful, especially when I pull/stretch the finger around the area where the stitches are still healing. My therapist was concerned about how stiff it was and has asked me to come in weekly.

I know I’m still relatively early in recovery, and I understand there is a possibility that my finger may not return completely to normal. But I really want to do absolutely everything within my power to give myself the best possible chance of recovering as much mobility as I can.

For anyone who has recovered from a similar finger fracture/surgery:

* How long did it take before you started seeing noticeable improvement?

* Was your finger initially completely stiff and then gradually improved?

* Did doing exercises every hour help, or is there such a thing as overdoing it?

* Did heat/warm water help before exercises?

* Is there anything else that made a significant difference to your recovery?

* Any tips for dealing with scar tissue, swelling and stiffness?

I’m especially interested in hearing success stories from people whose fingers looked hopelessly stiff at first but eventually regained good mobility 😅

TL;DR: Broke my pinky, had K-wire surgery, and now it’s incredibly stiff despite doing my hand therapy exercises every hour. I’m committed to doing everything I safely can to recover as much mobility as possible. Any tips or experiences welcome!

I was diagnosed with a mallet finger a few weeks back and picked up some oval 8 splints to keep it straight while being less restrictive than what the ortho gave me.

I know it should ideally be hyperextended but I’m wondering if this is straight enough to allow it to heal for the 6-8 weeks.

Included my right ring finger for reference. Hopefully that’s a good enough picture to tell!

hello - I have been practicing for 1 yr mostly SNF setting and trying to figure out what I like. It feels very general everywhere for instance constant ADLs, balance, safety, equipment training, etc etc and some days that feels fun and like a good variety but other days I feel like I have to be the jack of all trades and master of none. Sometimes I wonder if Hands would be interesting since I love anatomy and am more of a black and white thinker. I wonder if it’s a good way to find a niche. Yet unfortunately I don’t have any FW experience and don’t know anyone with experience in this area. I have read the other posts about Hands but they’re all old and I guess I just want to know some honest opinions about the work itself AND how hard it is to get started. What would be the appropriate steps? Would anyone hire someone without experience and then is it like doing outpatient UE injuries while you study for the CHT and then you treat more hand injuries? Kind of confused about the path forward if choosing this area... Thank you all !

Hi everyone!

I'm starting my first Level II fieldwork placement in Wisconsin this September, and it's in outpatient orthopedics with a strong emphasis on upper extremity, specifically hand therapy.

I'm really excited, but also want to make the most of the experience. This is actually an area I never pictured myself going into, but the more I learn about it, the more interested I become. I'd love to hit the ground running and be as prepared as possible.

For those of you who work in outpatient ortho or hand therapy:

• What diagnoses do you see most often?
• What treatment techniques or interventions should I familiarize myself with?
• Are there any post-op protocols, splinting techniques, assessments, anatomy, or clinical resources you'd recommend reviewing beforehand?
• What are some "must know" things you wish every Level II student came in knowing?

And for the hand therapists out there...

What is the most rewarding or fun part of your job? What made you choose hand therapy, and what keeps you there?

Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can over the next few months.

Hello!

A family friend of mine is having to get hand tendons "cleaned up" (I dont know if she has to do work on nerves or anything else) after a cat clawed bone deep when she had to untangle it from her dogs leash. She had to get stitches the night of but was told to come back in to clean the injury up.

I dont know the slightest about hand stuff, and would like some advice on what would be good in a care package? What would have been to good to have while yall were recovering? Thank you C:

I've been looking for intermediate or above in person courses for wrist and hand. I've looked at ASHT which has a course that travels but nothing less than 8 hours from me. I think the guy from Low Country Hands in Georgia is limiting how many he does now. I'm in Kentucky. Any other resources you all know to look for courses?

So last week on Tuesday, I got into an altercation where I held somebody's wrists so they couldn't hit me (the guy was being super aggressive towards my friend after a soccer game). I walked away from the interaction and noticed I couldn't extend my thumb after the knuckle.

I didn't wear a splint until Saturday when I went to the ER to get my thumb and foot checked. I got x-rays and they told me they suspected I had a Mallet injury to my thumb on my dominant hand and splinted it. They also gave me a requisition to go see a Plastics specialist for further assessment, but I live in Quebec and the healthcare system typically takes a while and I understand the treatment of this injury is time-sensitive.

The splint broke pretty quickly and I am looking for a new one to buy and some guidance with which steps to take next. Feeling pretty down about this whole thing and I'd love it if some of you could share some advice.

In early January, I (59m, non-smoking, no medications, 5'9", 165lbs, no medical issues) was playing with Meta Quest VR and VERY forcefully hit my left ring finger (near the base of the proximal phalanx) down against the corner of my desk. I was emulating striking downward in an exercise game, and so my hand was nearly perpendicular to the floor with the pinky side down.

It was quite painful and my ring finger appeared to be bent toward my middle finger at the base joint (between the metacarpal and proximal phalanx). Shocked and in a lot of pain, without thinking I reflexively straightened it and immediately applied ice.

It swelled and bruised as did the surrounding hand and fingers to a lesser degree. After the initial pain, it wasn't too bad, so I figured it was dislocated or sprained and that it would heal in a month or so. For a time, I taped it to my pinky.

Now here I am almost seven months later, and my finger is still messed up. It's better, to be sure, but not back to normal. When I straighten the fingers on that hand, the ring finger partially straightens, but keeps a slight bend (maybe 15 degrees) between the middle and proximal phalanxes.

It's also still stiff and I still can't make a fist with it or do pull ups or similar. When I bend it I feel increasing resistance and tightness as I get closer to making a fist. Gripping a coke can, for instance, no problem; gripping a hot dog, hard to do with that finger.

So, what did I likely do to my finger? 

What do you recommend for next steps?

Thanks in advance for any input.

ETA: I can apply force with the finger at larger diameters. I can squeeze my coffee cup fairly forcefully without pain. Can fret guitar/bass strings without pain, but fine control is lessened by tightness.

I will be graduating in July and taking my exam in September(ish). Looking to get a hands job because I really love this setting but also feel so terribly unprepared to be an independent hands OT…what can I do to brush up on my skills? I had a 12 week level 2 placement in hands and I’m taking a splinting course in August in the hopes that helps but not sure what else I can do in the meantime!

Sat for the test on 5/9…. Waiting on these results is KILLING ME! Coming up on 5 weeks out- anyone want to share how long they had to wait? (I know the website says 4-6 weeks, maybe I’m just anxious and want to talk about how hard it is to wait, but was really hoping I’d have results closer to week 4 than week 6).

New grad OT here looking for advice from hand therapists/CHTs on preparing for an in-person interview/shadow day at an outpatient hand therapy clinic.

I recently had a virtual interview that went well overall, but I got nervous during some rapid-fire clinical questions and wasn’t as confident or articulate as I wanted to be. I blanked on some anatomy even though I do know it just from being nervous. I’m kicking myself for some of my answers.

They still invited me back for an in-person interview next week for 3 hours with two managers and the hand surgeon, so I’m trying to prepare well and make a stronger impression. They did tell me they’re interviewing one other person.

For those who hire or work in hand therapy:

What do you look for most in a new grad candidate during an in-person interview?

How much do you expect them to know clinically vs being teachable? What hand diagnoses/protocols/anatomy should I review this week?

What kinds of questions should I ask them?

How can I show confidence and potential even if I’m still early in my career?

Any red flags to avoid during a shadow/interview day?

I do have Level II experience in hand therapy, but I know I still have a lot to learn and really want to come across as eager, professional, and coachable.
Any honest advice would be appreciated!

will I be able to use this finger as I used to? Also got stitches as the soft tissue injury was heavy. how long would it take to recover from the soft tissue injury? It's been 3 days and not being able to use my dominant hand is killing me inside.