A splint is considered a “half-cast” and used to support the healing process for broken bones and fractures by holding bones together while they heal and fuse. Splints help keep a patient’s bones as straight as possible so that physical motions don’t worsen the injury.
Splints protect the body from further damage and reduce pain and swelling.
Splints are commonly used on a patient to treat:
- Simple or stable fractures
- Sprains
- Tendon injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries
Splints differ from casts because they aren’t used for definitive fracture management or complex fracture management; this is where a patient requires higher levels of stability and support from a cast.