An anti-claw splint stops the ring and little finger knuckles bending backwards when the ulnar nerve isn’t working. With the knuckles blocked, the long finger tendons can STRAIGHTEN THE FINGERS again, and the hand opens to grip.
It’s used for ulnar nerve palsy from injury at the elbow or wrist, severe cubital tunnel syndrome, and while waiting for nerve recovery or tendon transfer surgery.
It improves how the hand opens. It doesn’t bring back pinch strength or feeling.
Why the fingers claw
- The ulnar nerve supplies the small muscles inside the hand that bend the knuckles and straighten the finger joints at the same time. See the hand nerve map
- When those muscles stop working, the long tendons from the forearm take over unopposed
- The knuckles pull back and the finger joints curl, most obviously in the ring and little fingers
- The hand can’t open around a glass, and objects get pushed away instead of gripped
Stop the knuckle bending back, and the same tendons that were clawing the finger straighten it.
What it’s used for
- Ulnar nerve injury at the elbow or wrist, including cuts and fractures
- Severe cubital tunnel syndrome with muscle wasting
- Compression at Guyon’s canal with weakness
- Combined median and ulnar nerve injuries, where all four fingers claw
- Before and after tendon transfers designed to replace the lost muscles
The designs
- Hand-based dorsal splint: a bar over the back of the ring and little finger segments, holding the knuckles slightly bent
- Figure-of-eight style: slimmer, leaving the palm clear for grip
- Spring or elastic designs: hold the knuckles bent but let them straighten under effort
Wearing it
- During the day, for use. This is a functional splint. It’s meant for gripping, writing and daily tasks
- For as long as the palsy lasts. Nerve recovery from an elbow-level injury can take many months, because nerves regrow slowly
- Keep the finger joints supple with daily passive straightening, so that when function returns the joints can use it
- Protect numb skin. Loss of feeling on the little-finger side means burns and cuts go unnoticed
Problems to watch for
- Pressure marks on numb skin, which you won’t feel
- Fixed bending of the finger joints if the splint is worn but stretches are skipped
- Heavy pinch still weak. The splint doesn’t replace the pinch muscles
Get it checked if
- Increasing weakness or wasting
- Finger joints that no longer straighten even with help
- Any wound or blister on numb skin
This is one of dozens of splints a hand therapist makes. See what a hand therapist does for the full list.
Block the knuckle, and the hand opens again.
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.