I had a few set backs in the first couple weeks of wearing the splint. Mostly around moving my finger while trying to make new splints, but I did have one catastrophic splint failure where the fingernail popped off during an exercise workout (May 12th) and I felt my finger bend too far. This was back before I figured how to hook the splint over the nail and to avoid getting oils on the glued area.
So, I figure total healing time puts me at 11 weeks.
DIP joint is stiff and I can clearly feel tension when I flex that joint beyond 20 degrees, so I'm taking it easy and wearing a splint at night. However, instead of gluing the splint, I'm just taping both ends.
Here's the condition of my finger after removing the flexible splint.
 |
| Slightly swollen still. Fingernail has ridges. |
 |
| Top view |
 |
| Trying to show ridges. |
I don't think any of this is unusual and I'm pretty sure my nail would look find if I went to a salon and got a manicure.
 |
| Showing range of movement for finger. |
One side bonus of wearing a splint, I've trained myself to not bend that finger too much.
I'm super happy with the latest splint design with the tubing used at the fingertip. I think it should become part of the standard design. Only problem is I used some thick walled tubing I bought years ago and I don't remember the source.
 |
| A lot of flex can be absorbed by the tubing. |
Getting the correct tubing is
key. Thermal plastic will not bond to every type of silicon/vinyl tubing out there.
Condition of the last prototype
I did remove some plastic that covered the silicon tubing to allow more range of motion. I used a razor and a warm coffee cup to smooth it out.
 |
| Closeup of flexible part |
 |
| Tip still has superglue on bottom. |
 |
| Thermal plastic stayed smooth and comfortable near PIP joint. |
Next
Next step is to purchase a bunch of different types of tubing and test how thermal plastic behaves with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment