How to Use a Foam Finger Splint

Small, lightweight and easy to use, foam finger splints are a great addition to a sports first aid kit.  Here we describe a simple foam splint technique to protect and immobilise an injured finger.

Foam splints – aka SAM splints or flexi splints – are made of a bendable aluminium sheet enclosed in foam.  You can bend them to shape by hand, but they become quite rigid and protective once they’re strapped in place. You can take advantage of these properties to create a fast and effective finger splint on the touchline. This is great for sports like netball, rugby and cricket, where finger injuries are very common.

Instructions

Step 1: Bend the splint lengthways into a gutter or half-pipe shape. The splint should run along the underside of the injured finger, cradling it, as pictured:

Step 2: Either pinch in the excess length of the splint, or trim it off with Tufkut scissors.  In our picture, we’ve left the excess length in place and simply pinched it in:

Step 3: Tape the splint onto the finger with zinc oxide tape.  Circle with tape once between the knuckle and the first joint, and once between the first and last joint.  Apply the tape gently – it does not need to be too tight.  That’s it.

Thanks  for reading.  Click here to view our range of finger injury products.

About Physical Sports First Aid

Physical Sports Limited sells first aid and medical supplies for the treatment of sports injuries. | www.Physical-Sports.co.uk | 01943 662 155