Comparison of four ankle splint designs.
Plaster splinting is often considered the initial immobilization method for acute ankle injuries. Although the posterior splint design is most commonly recommended, clinical experience suggests that it is not the most durable in the outpatient setting. To determine the sturdiness of the four most common splint designs, each was tested for its resistance to plantar flexion 30 minutes after application. The splints tested were: standard posterior, ridged posterior, modified figure-of-eight, and sugar-tong. In six healthy subjects, significantly less plantar flexion was achieved with the sugar-tong splint than with the other designs. In addition, more force was generated per degree of plantar flexion achieved with the sugar-tong than with the other designs. These results suggest that the sugar-tong splint may be preferred in the acute treatment of ankle injuries based on its greater strength.
Halvorson
G
G
Section of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson.
Iserson
K V
KV
D016512:Ankle Injuries; D002370:Casts, Surgical / Q000592:standards; D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013165:Splints / Q000592:standards*