Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Muscle Nerve. 2014 May 17;50(1):4–13. doi: 10.1002/mus.24202

Table 3.

Hand orthoses (splints) used most commonly in ALS care.

Type of splint Description Use
Resting hand splint Lightweight; may be used during the day and/or at night to maintain proper muscle length in patients with wrist and intrinsic hand muscle weakness. Prevention of wrist and finger flexion contractures.
Anti-claw Limits metacarpophalangeal (MCP) extension and improve grasp by keeping the joints flexed. Reduction of “claw hand” deformity; improvement of grasp.
Volar cock-up Supports the wrist in 20–30° of extension. Improvement of grasp in people with wrist extensor weakness.
Short opponens Keeps the thumb in an abducted and opposed position. Improvement of grasp in people with thumb abduction and extension weakness.