Fitting Your Child’s Splints
Date issued: September 2022
Review date: September 2024
Ref: C-508/KM/Physiotherapy/Fitting your child's splints
PDF: Fitting your child's splint final September 2022.pdf [pdf] 326KB
How to fit your child’s splints
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The splints are all the same, there is no left and right so they can go on either foot.
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The splints should be fitted with your child in a seated position with their knee bent.
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Ensure their heel is back as far as you can get it in the splint.
Once the foot is in a good position in the splint, you need to secure the strap(s) across the front of the ankle. These need to be tight to ensure that the heel cannot lift out of the splint.
You then need to secure the strap at the top of the splint.
Once the foot is firmly secured in the splint, you need to tighten the side straps by pulling the velcro strap on the outside of the ankle, followed by the velcro strap on the inside of the ankle. This should still be done with the knee bent.
Once the straps are tightened, your child should sit with their legs out straight in front of them to make sure they are getting a full stretch.
How long should they wear them for?
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Initially, your child should wear the splints for at least one hour every evening to get used to them.
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If they tolerate this well, this can be increased to several hours.
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The splints can be worn overnight if your child can tolerate this. The side straps can be left loose overnight as preventing your child from sleeping with their toes pointing down is just as effective.
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Not all children will tolerate having the splints on overnight.
Top Tips
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Splints may be more comfortable when worn with a thicker pair of socks to cushion the straps.
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Try linking wearing splints with screen time e.g., gaming, watching tv/films.
