Therapeutic appliance for improving functions of hand fingers

Abstract

A hand therapeutic appliance, including: a splint cloth with a portion for accommodating a palm with the fingers spread apart, and a portion for covering the underside surface of the carpal joint and forearm; retainers for releasably holding the five spread apart fingers; retainers for releasably securing the wrist and/or forearm to the forearm splint portion; a plurality of first generally delta-shaped pockets positioned between adjacent fingers; a pair of second pockets extending from the finger tips toward the forearm along substantially the full length of the splint cloth, the second pockets span the space between the thumb and the forefinger and the space between the ring finger and the middle finger, respectively; a pair of third generally delta-shaped pockets, one of the third pockets extending between the pair of second pockets from the finger tips toward the wrist to span the forefinger and the middle finger, and the other of the third pockets extending from the finger tips toward the wrist to span the ring finger and the little finger; a plurality of inflatable bladders, each accommodated within a first, second or third pocket; tubes for inflating and deflating the bladders; and darts provided at the pair of second pockets at locations corresponding generally to the wrist to facilitate bending of the second pockets back toward the palm side when the bladders within the pockets are inflated.