Suggestions on wrist support brands?

September 6, 2005 1:30 PM

This is the wrist support I'm currently using and have to replace. Does anyone have a suggestion for a brand of wrist support I should try?

Please realize I have more than just carpal tunnel. This goes all the way up into my back, and no - I don't want the surgery. That means I'll be using a brace like this for...well, the rest of my life.

I've been using Futuro because it's a brand I can easily find. But I'm open to suggestions, because the product is not the best made, and I'm shelling out $25 about every three to four months, which is just unacceptable for a household where a two year-old sucks up much of the disposalable income.

Off to find some advil. The inflammation is killing me today.

posted by FunkyHelix to health (5 comments total)

Based on the "typinggloves" tag you used, I'm assuming that you're looking for something you can wear at least while typing, which presumably means not one of the ones that immobilizes your thumb (which I have for my CTS, but which I only wear at night).

A good friend of mine highly recommended the Corflex brand of braces, but I haven't tried them myself. They do seem to have a variety of types, so you can probably find one that's close to ideal for your particular problem.
posted by cerebus19 at 1:59 PM on September 6, 2005

I should add that the friend who recommended the Corflex braces is one of the pickiest people I've ever met, and so I'd vouch for the quality of the braces based only on that. Believe me, if the brace she'd bought from them had so much as a slight discoloration on it when it arrived, she wouldn't have recommended the company.
posted by cerebus19 at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2005

I'm an occupational health nurse (COHN)...

First, since you say this goes into your back, I'm assuming you have a cervical nerve root (C7 or C8) impingement that's causing your problem instead of carpal tunnel. Surgery is the last resort, but a good neurologist coupled with physical therapy may help you without any cutting. If you haven't had a second opinion yet, please get one.

Now for the wrist support issue... you're paying too much for the brace you're using. I've used The Saunders Group for years; the link is to their elbow/wrist support page. Be sure you get a dorsal support, stiff on the palm side, instead of the one which is rigid on what you'd call the back of the hand.

This firm was founded by a physical therapist, and I've used his back pain program for years with great results. The 'For Your Neck' booklet might be of help to you also. Good luck.
posted by lambchop1 at 4:37 PM on September 6, 2005

I use this for De Quervain's syndrome tendinitis, and I type with it all the time. I haven't bought a new splint in about 6 years. YMMV. P.S. Sorry that you are a fellow sufferer and that you're hurting right now, FunkyHelix! I also take 800 mg Motrin every 8 hrs.
posted by Lynsey at 4:45 PM on September 6, 2005

You may laugh at my suggestion, but I'll make it anyway - bowling wrist splint. Several years ago, until I completely mastered workstation ergonomics, the diagnosed carpal tunnel in the my left wrist was excruciating and forced me to wear a splint 24/7. I found the medical splints to be very uncomfortable because they covered too much of the palm of my hand. Meanwhile, people at work would ask me, "So, when are you going bowling?" Since I don't bowl, I didn't get it at first until someone told me that bowlers often wear splints and that's what mine looked like. A trip to a bowling alley revealed that bowling splints 1) are smaller than medical splints 2) are less obtrusive across the palm 3) often come in leather, which made 24/7 use more fashionable.
posted by seymour.skinner at 9:58 PM on September 6, 2005