Are you looking around for the best thumb brace to buy? You should know which features to look for. But first, be aware that there's a big difference between a wrist brace and a thumb brace. 

Specifically, a wrist brace is used for problems with the entire hand and wrist. It adds support to the wrist in order to limit flexion and extension.

In contrast, a thumb brace is a wrist brace that concentrates support to the injured thumb. In fact, most thumb braces provide little or no support to the wrist joint.

When buying one, the best thumb brace features to look for depend on which condition you're trying to treat. This article describes the conditions and what to look for in a thumb brace.

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There are many types of thumb braces available. But overall, the main purpose is to keep your thumb immobilized. This helps it heal from surgery, injury, or disease. 

The most common reason to wear a thumb brace is either for a thumb sprain or de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. However, other conditions might require a thumb brace such as:

• Post-operative immobilization
• Osteoarthritis
• Thumb fracture
• Wrist tendinitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Gamekeeper’s thumb
• Skier’s thumb
  

When movement restriction on the thumb is needed, the manufacturer adds a stiff "spica" to the brace. The spica is usually what distinguishes a "thumb brace" from a wrist brace. 

The thumb spica is a rigid or semi-rigid extension of the hand brace that supports the thumb. It’s designed to keep the thumb stable and in one position. 

Generally, thumb braces incorporate a spica for post-surgical rehabilitation or as a substitute for a hand cast. Usually they include a simple Velcro-locked spica support or a lace-up spica.

Some thumb spicas are aluminum. But the vast majority of thumb spicas are lightweight moldable plastic. That means you use a hairdryer to heat and bend the plastic spica to conform to the bend in your thumb. Usually your doctor's office will do this for you in order to ensure the best joint angles for maximum healing. 

For the most part, good modern thumb braces with a spica will have this moldable plastic spine. But if your thumb does not require absolute immobility, a fabric spica might be acceptable. Fabric spicas are semi-rigid.

You might need a thumb brace for post-surgical support or after a minor injury (like a sprain or partial ligament rupture). Either way, every patient, doctor, and manufacturer agrees that the best thumb brace feature to look for should be comfort. 

Good comfort allows tissues to heal better in the 3-6 weeks that most thumb injuries require. But far too many thumb braces are uncomfortable or even painful to wear. And that healing period can be maddening if the thumb brace is uncomfortable, causing you to squirm. 

Such generic thumb braces are usually sold at Walmart, Walgreen's, and CVS. They're relatively inexpensive, but you may regret buying one after wearing it for a week.

You can sprain your thumb if you bend it too far, beyond its normal range of motion. Too much bending will disrupt the ligaments that support the thumb. Beyond those physical limits, ligaments can develop micro-tears. As a result, inflammation and swelling follow. Severe thumb pain is the final outcome. 

The most common thumb injuries occur in association with contact sports like football or basketball. Some stick sports like hockey and lacrosse also contribute greatly to thumb injuries. The most severe cases require surgery to join completely ripped ligaments in the thumb. That's when a rigid thumb spica brace will better help keep the thumb from moving excessively.

It's also best to simultaneously immobilize the wrist joint. With severe thumb injuries, moving the wrist can be painful as well. Therefore, a wrist brace with a thumb spica is best.

It's worth noting that many doctors recommend that ordinary (less severe) thumb sprains should not be kept completely rigid. Therefore, a fabric semi-rigid thumb spica may be better. And again, comfort is the primary concern here.

With simple diagnoses now available, doctors can easily identify de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. It is essentially tendinitis at the base of the thumb. Usually it occurs in one of several ways, such as having arthritis or trauma to the thumb.

Also, repetitively and forcefully gripping and releasing objects (or tapping a phone) may be the culprit. This can produce thumb trauma and result in de Quervain's tenosynovitis. 

A thumb brace is used when your thumb must be immobilized. Several conditions may require this. Therefore, the best thumb brace to look for will have a thumb spica. This will insure your thumb does not move during the therapy period. Of all the features to look for, a comfortable brace is paramount. Sometimes, when the disorder is severe, you may require a wrist brace that also contains a thumb spica.