SILVER RING SPLINTS: DO THEY WORK

By: JoAnn Keller

The specialized hand therapists of Hands for Living in Redmond and Lynnwood, WA share their perspective from working regularly with people with joint hypermobility.

Over the past 15 years, we have fitted many people with Silver Ring Splints from the Silver Ring Splint company, from Etsy providers, and from custom-making our own version out of jewelry wire or plastics.

We were curious about how well the ring splints worked for people after they left our care.  As outpatient therapists, we see how a brace or support works on the day it goes home, and *sometimes* get follow-up information if they are for someone that we see regularly…. But we don’t always get broad feedback as to whether they help in the long term.

Out of curiosity, JoAnn Keller, the owner of our company, polled people in a large EDS Facebook group several months ago, asking how helpful Silver Ring splints are in the longer term?

Responses were very consistent with her clinical experience:

• Finger splints, particularly for the middle joint of the finger (the PIP joint) work reliably and consistently.  They reduce pain and improve function of the hand if those joints are unstable and are able to hyperextend.  Splints for the tip joint (the DIP) can also be extremely helpful.

• Thumb splints are more varied (and more expensive!).  People consistently responded that overall they are helpful more often than not, with the Stable Thumb 3D splint as the most consistently helpful style, and that they use them in different ways:

  • “I wore them for awhile, they helped, and now I only need them occasionally”

  • “I use them when I need them (usually for certain activities); I don’t need them the rest of the time”.

  • “I use them EITHER at night OR during the day, and don’t need them 100% of the time.”

Whether or not Silver Ring Splints will be helpful is a very individual question.  “It depends” is the only SOLID answer we can give without seeing your hands individually.  But in many cases, our clients have described them as “life-changing”, and for that reason, we are happy to help evaluate whether or not they would be helpful for you.

Overall, we have had very good experiences working with the Silver Ring Splint company.  Recently (as of summer 2023), splints have been shipping quickly, and people have been able to try them on and decide quickly whether or not they make a difference for their specific hand problems.   The company has been very good about consulting with us individually on fitting for specific or difficult problems.

If you have questions about whether or not Silver Ring splints would make a difference for you, please call us at 425-881-1921 (Redmond) and we would be happy to help you answer that question!