Sugar Tong Splint Technique

[@girlinlilac9116]

i have this splint, but its temporary until i get a cast. its annoying

[@ffdarrell]

The 15 foot rolls of felt covered cut to length fiberglass is made by several different companies. The types of uses are very limited. I see it used in ER's and urgent cares. It is a great product when making a volar splint, or a sugar tong splint, but only for a non-displaced acute injury. It is just enough support to let the swelling go down while you are waiting to see an Ortho doctor. You could use it to make a removable posterior splint in an office setting to support but still let the patient remove for skin care and limited ROM. Ace wraps irritate the skin and I would make sure to put a sleeve of stockinette under the padded splint before applying an ace wrap. If the injury is anymore than a simple buckle, you should do more than a felt padded splint. First of all, applying stockinette and padding is a must to give mild compression and allow swelling to go away. Follow with custom cut plaster splints and secure in place with more Webril. Last would be an ace wrap. Now you are giving the Ortho team options. I can remove the splint and cast. I can remove just the ace and overwrap and extend with fiberglass rolls for fractures that were reduced, if you did a good job of padding. I cast over 200 patients a month during the summer months. It is not uncommon to get kids with forearm fractures in a simple felt covered fiberglass sugar tong splint with no padding. Patients deserve more.

[@catcatcat8959]

What do you think about reverse sugar tong splint vs the regular sugar tong splint

[@catcatcat8959]

How does ace wrap irritate skin? Is stockinette better than cast padding for it?

[@ffdarrell]

@@catcatcat8959 I have never done a reverse sugar tong or scene one in person.

[@ffdarrell]

@@catcatcat8959 An ace wrap has elastic in it and can irritate the skin if applied directly on the skin. A lenght of stockinette on the extreminty with the ace over it is far more comfortable. This is what I do for a patient who is allowed to remove for ROM. If it is not intended to be removed. Stockinette with some padding and an orthoglass product held in place with the ace wrap works fine. If you are reducing the fracture, I find that layers of plaster and the ace leave us with the option of removing the ace and overwrap with fiberglass rolls for several weeks works great.

[@catcatcat8959]

@@ffdarrell ahh I gotcha. I’m a new ER Tech but we don’t use plaster in the ER. I think that’s only for casts, correct? I only do splints. My sugar tong splints come out wrinkly at the elbow and I feel leaves too much room. Another tech suggested I try a reverse sugar tong splint and it would solve the problem but I’ve never done or seen them do one either. They never showed me only explained how. The training I got is not sufficient I feel. Training was too short they wanted me working right away. I have to google a lot and I’m trying to learn

[@redhead3535]

Wow! This splint may be effective, but it does not seem like it would be very comfortable for the patient. I use a full stocking over the arm, then my padding over the whole area to be covered, then I put my fiberglass on with kling. I actually cut out and not pinch the excess material around the elbow. Then I finish with coban over the top.

[@PrideofPitchers]

we place 1-2 rolls of fibrous cotton padding over the entire arm, then the orthoglass and acewrap. if there's some extra material down low, we pull the splint up tight towards the hands and fold the excess along the front or the back of the hand. Wouldn't be a bad idea to place the stocking first like you do.

[@Mz3s]

What kind of splint is this? Wrist?

[@elsie26]

a bad one.

[@THErealYAZZO]

You are amazing. That was beautiful.

[@caradesapo1611]

I have a collie splint and its hard for. Me to type

[@vdoubleu-o4u]

they didn't pad my ulnar styloid and that was part of my injury :(

[@ernieRUOK]

Sevendandra It's preference of the person applying the splint. I do splints at work and a lot of my colleagues don't use padding at all, we also use bias wrap instead of coban to wrap.

[@ansleylowe7256]

Lol I have to get X-rays tomorrow I think I might have to get a boxer cast my poor poor pinkie

[@mei-meitang7165]

I am a hand therapist. Though this is a nice sugar tong, it is too long as the distal Palmar crease is covered. Additionally sugar tongs are for limiting wrist rotation therefore unnecessary for a simple distal radius/ eg colles fracture. It would be used for tfcc repairs / Druj (distal radial ulnar joint) instabilities/ repairs. You should consult a hand therapist / orthopaedic consultant before making your videos.

[@kylejones4987]

Garbage splint. Where's the stockinette? Where's the cotton padding? The orthoglasa isn't even touching the elbow. Do something like this in my ER and you're going to do it again until you get it right.

[@crwnguy]

Kyle Jones lighten up, Francis.