A relative motion splint, often called a YOKE, is a small band across the knuckles that holds one finger slightly higher or lower than its neighbors.
That small offset takes tension off a repaired or torn tendon, while every finger keeps bending and straightening.
It’s used for extensor tendon repairs over the back of the hand, sagittal band ruptures, and in some boutonniere and flexor tendon programs.
Most people can use the hand for light tasks while wearing it.
How it works
- Your fingers share muscles. The long finger tendons in the forearm are linked, so the position of one knuckle changes the tension on its neighbors’ tendons
- Extension version: the injured finger’s knuckle sits slightly MORE STRAIGHT than the others. Tension on its extensor tendon drops, so the repair or torn band is protected while you move
- Flexion version: the injured finger’s knuckle sits slightly MORE BENT than the others, which changes the load through the tendons over the middle joint
- The offset is small. Usually around 15 to 20 degrees. Enough to protect, not enough to stop function
Protection doesn’t have to mean stillness. It can mean moving with the tension switched down.
What it’s used for
- Extensor tendon repairs over the knuckles and back of the hand. Often paired with a wrist splint for the first few weeks, then worn alone
- Sagittal band rupture, where the tendon slips off the knuckle. The extension version keeps the tendon centered while the band heals
- Some boutonniere and central slip injuries, using the flexion version alongside a middle joint splint
- Some flexor tendon programs, depending on the surgeon and the zone
A typical timeline after an extensor repair
- Weeks 0 to 3: yoke plus a wrist splint, worn full time. Full, easy finger movement inside both
- Weeks 3 to 5: wrist splint off for light use, yoke stays on
- Weeks 5 to 7: yoke weaned for light tasks, kept for heavier or riskier ones
- Weeks 8 to 12: strengthening, and heavy grip from around 10 to 12 weeks
Your surgeon and therapist set the exact dates for your repair.
Why people like it
- It’s small enough to type, write and eat with
- Fingers keep moving, so stiffness after the repair is less of a battle
- It’s easy to keep on, which matters, because a repair splint that comes off too early is a common cause of a rupture
Problems to watch for
- Pressure marks on the sides of the fingers where the band sits
- Swelling that makes it tight by evening
- A knuckle that starts to lag or can’t lift as high as its neighbors
- Heavy gripping while wearing it. Small splint, same repair. It doesn’t make heavy lifting safe
Get it checked if
- A sudden pop, then a finger that droops at the knuckle
- The tendon visibly slipping sideways over the knuckle again
- Numbness, color change or marks that don’t fade
This is one of dozens of splints a hand therapist makes.
See what a hand therapist does for the full list, and hand tendon anatomy for why the fingers share load.
A small offset at the knuckle protects the tendon and keeps the hand moving.
Every article on this site is written using the Closing Window Method: name the window your condition runs on, find where you are in it, and act while it’s still open.