Patent ID: 8092411

Claim:
A hand orthosis for support of a patient's thumb and fingers in spaced apart orientation and separated from contact with the patient's palm, comprising: an elongated body having three surfaces extending the length of said elongated body, including a palmar surface, a thumb support surface, and a finger support surface, said elongated body having a plurality of unequal cross-sectional areas spaced along a major axial length of said elongated body having a distal end, a mid-segment and a base end, the cross-sectional area at the distal end being greater than that at the mid-segment, the cross-section area at the mid-segment being greater than that at the base end, said elongated body defining a convexity at the palmar surface at the distal end and a convexity at the palmar surface at the base end; a plurality of finger concavities curved in helical orientation across said finger support surface, said finger concavities include an index finger concavity angled toward said distal end, a second finger concavity and a third finger concavity angled toward said mid-segment, and a fourth finger concavity angled toward said base end, each finger concavity being angled non-perpendicular relative to the major axial length of said elongated body, the cross-sectional area at the index finger concavity being greater than that at either the second finger concavity or the third finger concavity, the cross-sectional area at either the second finger concavity or the third finger concavity being greater than that at the fourth finger concavity; and a thumb concavity extended in curved orientation between said mid-segment adjacent of said palmar surface and said distal end of said elongated body, said thumb cavity being oriented so that when a patient's thumb is cradled in said thumb concavity and the patient's index finger is cradled in said index finger concavity, the tip of the thumb and the tip of the index finger are similarly vertically situated in relation to the distal end of said elongated body; whereby said elongated body palmar surface is positioned against the patient's palm with each finger cradled in respective finger concavities, and the thumb is cradled in said thumb concavity, said elongated body is retained between the palm, thumb, and fingers when the thumb and fingers are curved in relaxed orientation without said elongated body impeding hand or wrist movement, while facilitating anatomic relaxation of the hand.