06/23/2026
Thumb arthritis makes daily tasks painful for 1 in 4 older Canadians – and not all can access pain-relieving thumb splints.
Joy MacDermid, a physical therapy professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences - Western University and member of Western Bone and Joint Institute, is leading a project funded by Arthritis Society Canada to expand access through 3D-printed splints.
As co-director of the clinical research lab at Roth | McFarlane Hand & Upper Limb Centre and a scientist at Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's Health Care London, Joy leads researchers studying how to measure, predict and reduce upper extremity disability.
Learn more about how we're on optimizing health for all: https://news.westernu.ca/2026/06/western-research-3d-printed-splints-thumb-arthritis/