These devices help you control arthritic pain and deformities by ensuring proper alignment of your wrist and finger joints.  Resting splints support your hand joints at a position of balance where tendons and ligaments surrounding a joint are at a relaxed position.  This position helps in reducing joint pain, inflammation and deformity.  Functional splints, on the other hand, support weak joints at a position of increased leverage for hand use.  They support your affected joints so they would not "buckle"  when you use your hand for daily tasks.  Use of appropriate splints should be part of long term arthritis symptom management.