Orthopedic Splints Market Size and Share
Orthopedic Splints Market Analysis by Mordor Intelligence
The orthopedic splints market size reached USD 1.69 billion in 2025 and is forecast to climb to USD 2.67 billion by 2030, reflecting a solid 9.58% CAGR over the period. Demand expands as populations age, sports participation rises, and care delivery shifts toward outpatient settings. Material advances, notably the move from plaster to lighter composites and 3-D printed forms, shorten application times and improve patient comfort, encouraging faster provider uptake. Regulatory agencies now pilot lifecycle-based review pathways that reward clinically validated innovation while reimbursement schedules push providers to favor cost-efficient, outcomes-oriented products. Together, these dynamics keep pricing disciplined and stimulate continual product refresh cycles, sustaining momentum in the orthopedic splints market.
Key Report Takeaways
- By product type, fiberglass captured 45.42% of orthopedic splints market share in 2024, while 3-D printed custom splints are positioned for a 10.34% CAGR through 2030.
- By material, fiberglass held 44.43% share of the orthopedic splints market size in 2024; thermoplastics are on track for a 10.22% CAGR to 2030.
- By application, lower extremity splints accounted for 51.23% of the orthopedic splints market size in 2024, whereas spinal applications are projected to grow at 10.36% CAGR through 2030.
- By end user, hospitals led with 48.91% revenue share in 2024, and orthopedic clinics are expected to post the fastest CAGR of 10.43% to 2030.
- By geography, North America dominated with 41.44% share in 2024, while Asia-Pacific is anticipated to advance at 10.59% CAGR during the forecast window.
Global Orthopedic Splints Market Trends and Insights
Drivers Impact Analysis
Driver | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
---|---|---|---|
Rising Musculoskeletal Disorder Burden | +2.1% | Global, with concentration in aging populations of North America, Europe, and East Asia | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Growing Geriatric Population | +1.8% | Global, particularly North America, Europe, and Japan | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Increasing Sports & Traffic-Related Fractures | +1.4% | Global, with higher impact in developed markets with active sports participation | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Material Innovations Including Water-Proof and Lightweight Composites | +1.2% | Global, with early adoption in North America and Europe | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Rapid Adoption Of 3-D Printed Custom Splints | +1.0% | North America, Europe, and select APAC markets with advanced manufacturing capabilities | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
Home-Based & OTC Splinting Via E-Commerce and Tele-Rehab | +0.9% | Global, with strongest penetration in digitally mature markets | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
Source: Mordor Intelligence
Rising Musculoskeletal Disorder Burden
Global osteoarthritis cases hit 607 million in 2021 and are still climbing, making splints a first-line, non-surgical solution for joint stabilization. Low back pain alone could reach 253 million incident cases by 2029, reinforcing the need for cost-effective immobilization devices. Occupational studies note cervical pain in 88.8% of office workers and lower-back pain in 83.8%, underscoring widespread, chronic demand [1]Monika S. Popova, "Demographic and Occupational Determinants of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study," MDPI, mdpi.com. Splints mitigate pain and limit further joint deterioration, especially for patients seeking to delay or avoid surgery. As payers emphasize conservative management before approving invasive procedures, the orthopedic splints market gains steady procedural volume.
Growing Geriatric Population
Age-standardized osteoarthritis prevalence rose significantly [2]Zihao Wang, "Global, regional and national burden of osteoarthritis in 1990–2021: a systematic analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021," BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com. Fracture susceptibility grows alongside reductions in bone density, particularly among post-menopausal women, who often require vertebral or hip stabilization. Providers increasingly opt for splints to preserve mobility in elderly patients not suited for operating room exposure. Longer treatment timelines and repeat device replacement needs add a predictable revenue stream for suppliers. In wealthier nations, universal coverage ensures consistent device reimbursement, cementing the orthopedic splints market as a pillar of geriatric musculoskeletal care.
Increasing Sports & Traffic-Related Fractures
Volleyball, soccer, and track activities collectively contributed more than 1.3 million injuries from 2013-2023, with ankle strains and sprains dominating diagnostic codes [3]Aaditya Jandhyala, "Volleyball Related Injuries in Adolescents: A Decade of Data," Orthopedic Reviews, orthopedicreviews.openmedicalpublishing.org. Road traffic trauma continues to rise in many economies, while electric scooter mishaps bring fresh upper-extremity case load to emergency departments. Non-operative fracture management protocols often start with splint immobilization, leading to rapid stock depletion during peak sports seasons. Athletes favor lightweight, breathable materials that permit limited activity without compromising healing, guiding suppliers to premium-priced composite lines within the orthopedic splints market.
Material Innovations in Lightweight Composites
Thermoplastic and composite splints weigh less and tolerate water exposure, removing historic patient-compliance barriers linked to plaster. Clinical tests show wood-plastic composites can be fitted in 5.3 minutes on average, lowering clinician workload. Biobased polyester scored higher on pediatric satisfaction metrics and reduced skin complications versus fiberglass. New Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for total carbon-fiber ankle-foot orthoses signal insurance recognition of ultra-light, high-strength formats. These improvements accelerate provider migration toward modern designs, increasing per-patient average selling price without lengthening chair time.
Restraints Impact Analysis
Restraint | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
---|---|---|---|
Negligence Toward Minor Injuries | -1.5% | Global, with higher impact in markets with limited healthcare access | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Availability Of Functional Braces & Walking Boots | -0.8% | Developed markets with advanced orthopedic product availability | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
Reimbursement Gaps for OTC Splints in EMS | -0.9% | North America and Europe with structured reimbursement systems | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Environmental Disposal Concerns for Fiberglass/Plastics | -0.6% | Global, with strongest impact in environmentally conscious markets | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Source: Mordor Intelligence
Negligence Toward Minor Injuries
Socioeconomic disparities mean many sprains and hairline fractures never reach orthopedic clinics. Under-insured groups disproportionately use emergency departments or forego care altogether, cutting directly into unit volumes. Rural hospitals face staffing shortages; only 30% employ orthopedic surgeons, delaying definitive treatment and occasionally shifting demand toward home remedies. In emerging economies, reliance on traditional bone setters leads to delayed presentations in 28% of pediatric cases, representing unrealized market potential. The gap illustrates how broader health-access initiatives could unlock new volumes for the orthopedic splints market.
Availability of Functional Braces & Walking Boots
For stable fractures, clinicians increasingly prescribe controlled-motion braces or walking boots. Pediatric centers boosted non-cast toddler fracture treatment from 45.6% to 90% after quality initiatives. New HCPCS codes for dynamic adjustable joint stretching devices further normalize brace-based care. These substitutes often command higher reimbursement but divert cases away from traditional splints. Suppliers counter by integrating hybrid designs that blur category lines, but near-term device substitution limits the orthopedic splints market growth corridor.
Segment Analysis
By Product: Momentum Shifts Toward Custom Printing
Fiberglass splints held 45.42% of the orthopedic splints market in 2024, anchored by their low cost, broad clinical familiarity, and established reimbursement pathways. Providers value fiberglass for predictable rigidity and quick setting, making it a go-to in trauma bays. Yet 3-D printed custom splints, expanding at 10.34% CAGR, are redrawing competitive boundaries. Randomized trials document lower pain, improved satisfaction, and fewer pressure sores when additive-manufactured designs replace bulkier polymers. Hospitals experimenting with in-house printers reduce turnaround from multi-day outsource cycles to same-day fittings, raising patient throughput while trimming inventory risk.
Growth in 3-D printing ripples through accessory markets such as scanning devices, design software, and consumable filaments, creating new revenue chains for suppliers that pivot early. Hybrid items mixing printed frameworks with traditional wrap materials cater to price-sensitive buyers yet preserve customization benefits. Plaster casts, although declining, retain a foothold in austere settings where technology budgets remain tight. Overall, diversified offerings allow manufacturers to segment by acuity and price point, supporting sustained value capture across the orthopedic splints market.
Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase
By Material: Thermoplastics Target Comfort and Sustainability
Fiberglass accounted for 44.43% of the orthopedic splints market in 2024, but thermoplastics are expanding fastest at 10.22% CAGR through 2030. Remoldable at moderate heat, thermoplastic sheets let clinicians fine-tune alignment during follow-up visits, curbing revision rates. Breathability and waterproof attributes also translate into higher patient compliance, a key driver in pediatric and sports cohorts. Regulatory bodies now encourage greener healthcare, prompting providers to explore biodegradable polymer alternatives that degrade without micro-plastic residue.
Carbon-fiber composites occupy the premium tier, validated by dedicated reimbursement codes that recognize their tensile strength-to-weight advantage for ankle-foot immobilization. Unit prices exceed mainstream fiberglass by a wide margin, yet elite athletes and postoperative cases justify the premium. Plaster of Paris persists where moldability and ultra-low cost dominate buying criteria, particularly in low-resource markets. As sustainability agendas intensify, suppliers investing in recyclable resin technologies may seize an early branding advantage in the orthopedic splints market.
By Application: Spinal Care Picks Up Pace
Lower extremity injuries drove 51.23% of the orthopedic splints market size in 2024, reflecting high ankle and knee trauma totals from sports and occupational mishaps. Emergency departments routinely stock multiple form factors to address sprains, fractures, and ligament tears. However, spinal splinting is set to grow fastest at 10.36% CAGR as vertebral fracture incidence rises with aging demographics. Non-operative protocols increasingly favor thoracolumbar orthoses to stabilize compression fractures, limiting kyphotic progression and mitigating postoperative risk.
Upper extremity splits maintain steady cadence, capturing repeat business from manual labor and contact-sport populations. Hand-based devices attract interest from industrial employers seeking rapid return-to-work solutions. Neck and shoulder splints dovetail with the surge in office-related musculoskeletal complaints, broadening outpatient penetration. Hip stabilization remains a specialized niche, yet longer life expectancy plus active senior lifestyles create scope for targeted innovations, further lifting overall momentum in the orthopedic splints market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase
By End User: Clinics Rise, Hospitals Hold Ground
Hospitals retained 48.91% revenue share in 2024, fueled by 24-hour trauma cover and bundled care pathways that funnel acute fractures into emergency bays. Nonetheless, orthopedic clinics will post the highest 10.43% CAGR through 2030 as payers nudge procedures toward lower-cost sites and surgeons seek ownership stakes in ambulatory facilities. Specialized clinic settings streamline patient flow, support rapid 3-D scanning, and provide tailored rehabilitation services under one roof.
Home healthcare adoption accelerates behind tele-rehab platforms, enabling clinicians to monitor fit and compliance remotely. Equivalence studies in joint arthroplasty rehabilitation suggest similar functional scores between supervised home programs and in-person visits, encouraging insurers to reimburse remote monitoring devices stapled to splints. Sports medicine centers and occupational health units round out demand, leveraging premium splints to speed up athlete or worker reintegration. This diversified site-of-care mix cushions suppliers against policy swings and underscores the growing complexity of the orthopedic splints market.
Geography Analysis
North America commanded 41.44% share of the orthopedic splints market in 2024 thanks to advanced trauma infrastructure, high elective procedure rates, and early adoption of material and manufacturing innovation. Provider consolidation has improved purchasing power, prompting suppliers to bundle value-added services such as digitized inventory tracking and in-service training. Regulatory pilots like the Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program for orthopedic devices aim to shorten innovation cycles but simultaneously push manufacturers to supply post-market safety data, raising compliance costs.
Asia-Pacific represents the fastest expansion corridor with a 10.59% CAGR projected to 2030. Urbanization, expanding insurance coverage, and increasing disposable income translate into higher musculoskeletal injury treatment rates. Governments in China, India, and South Korea now subsidize domestic additive-manufacturing lines, lessening import dependence and fostering region-specific product variants tailored to local anthropometry. Large patient pools allow quick scaling of production volumes, reinforcing supplier interest in localized joint ventures. Rising sports participation and traffic-related fractures further enlarge the addressable base for the orthopedic splints market.
Europe maintains moderate growth underpinned by aging demographics and universal health systems that guarantee device reimbursement. Environmental stewardship directives compel hospitals to set procurement targets for recyclable or biodegradable materials, stimulating supplier investment in green formulations. Middle East and Africa markets expand from a small base, with gulf states importing premium devices for expatriate workforces and domestic populations alike. South America shows momentum in Brazil and Argentina, where public-private healthcare partnerships improve device availability and clinician training. Collectively, geographical breadth cushions the orthopedic splints market against single-region downturns and underwrites sustained global revenues.

Competitive Landscape
The orthopedic splints market features moderate fragmentation; no single vendor controls a double-digit global share across every subcategory. Multinationals such as Zimmer Biomet, Ossur, and Stryker focus on high-margin 3-D printed and carbon-fiber offerings, leveraging R-and-D scale and regulatory experience to secure early approvals. Mid-tier specialists differentiate through niche expertise; OrthoPediatrics, for instance, targets pediatric anatomies and has deepened this focus via the acquisition of Boston Orthotics & Prosthetics. Local players in China and India compete on cost and increasingly on design customization, using domestic manufacturing incentives to accelerate engineering cycles.
Strategic alliances blend digital, material, and clinical competencies. Software firms supply artificial-intelligence-driven design algorithms that shorten print-to-patient time, while material scientists collaborate on bioresorbable composites. Venture-funded start-ups pilot subscription models that ship central-lab-printed splints to remote clinics, bypassing capital investment in printers. Intellectual-property portfolios concentrate around lattice structures optimized for strength-to-weight ratio, spurring occasional infringement disputes. Despite competitive churn, switching barriers remain low, keeping buyer leverage high and reinforcing continuous innovation as the path to margin defense in the orthopedic splints market.
Regulatory shifts also shape rivalry. Expanded real-world evidence demands favor companies capable of integrating sensor-enabled splints that feed usage data to payers, supporting reimbursement renewals. Conversely, prior authorization rules for certain bracing categories slow uptake of higher-priced devices, favoring vendors with strong payer-relation teams. Sustainability mandates in Europe and select US health networks reward suppliers able to certify cradle-to-grave environmental impact reductions, adding a new vector of competition beyond clinical efficacy and cost.
Orthopedic Splints Industry Leaders
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DeRoyal Industries, Inc.
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Zimmer Biomet
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Stryker
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Dynatronics Corporation (Bird & Cronin)
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Solventum
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order

Recent Industry Developments
- January 2025: Dimension Ortho announced a strategic partnership with Rothman Orthopaedics. Through this collaboration, Rothman will implement Dimension Ortho's breakthrough platform for personalized bracing and fracture care across its clinical sites, setting a new standard for patient care.
- May 2024: Create it REAL, a Danish 3-D printing R&D center specializing in orthopedics, reported plans to launch a digital ordering platform to streamline custom splint production services.
- April 2024: Brace Direct opened a new distribution center aimed at reducing delivery times for its orthopedic immobilization portfolio.
Global Orthopedic Splints Market Report Scope
As per the report's scope, splints are medical devices used to immobilize damaged or injured bones to enhance the healing rate. The splints are considered non-circumferential devices. A splint can be used for certain fractures, soft tissue sprains or tendon injuries, or injuries awaiting orthopedic treatment. The Orthopedic Splint Market is Segmented by Product (Fiberglass Splints, Plaster Splints, Splinting Tools and Accessories, and Other Products), Application (Lower Extremity, Upper Extremity, and Spinal), End-user (Hospitals, Outpatient Centers, and Other End-users), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for 17 countries across major regions globally. The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.
By Product | Fiberglass Splints | ||
Plaster Splints | |||
Thermoplastic Splints | |||
3-D Printed Custom Splints | |||
Splinting Tools & Accessories | |||
Other Products | |||
By Material | Fiberglass | ||
Plaster of Paris | |||
Thermoplastics | |||
Carbon-Fiber Composites | |||
Others | |||
By Application | Lower Extremity | Ankle & Foot | |
Hip | |||
Knee | |||
Upper Extremity | Elbow | ||
Hand & Wrist | |||
Neck | |||
Shoulder | |||
Spinal | |||
By End-user | Hospitals | ||
Ambulatory Surgical Centers | |||
Orthopedic Clinics | |||
Others | |||
By Geography | North America | United States | |
Canada | |||
Mexico | |||
Europe | Germany | ||
United Kingdom | |||
France | |||
Italy | |||
Spain | |||
Rest of Europe | |||
Asia-Pacific | China | ||
Japan | |||
India | |||
Australia | |||
South Korea | |||
Rest of Asia-Pacific | |||
Middle East and Africa | GCC | ||
South Africa | |||
Rest of Middle East and Africa | |||
South America | Brazil | ||
Argentina | |||
Rest of South America |
Fiberglass Splints |
Plaster Splints |
Thermoplastic Splints |
3-D Printed Custom Splints |
Splinting Tools & Accessories |
Other Products |
Fiberglass |
Plaster of Paris |
Thermoplastics |
Carbon-Fiber Composites |
Others |
Lower Extremity | Ankle & Foot |
Hip | |
Knee | |
Upper Extremity | Elbow |
Hand & Wrist | |
Neck | |
Shoulder | |
Spinal |
Hospitals |
Ambulatory Surgical Centers |
Orthopedic Clinics |
Others |
North America | United States |
Canada | |
Mexico | |
Europe | Germany |
United Kingdom | |
France | |
Italy | |
Spain | |
Rest of Europe | |
Asia-Pacific | China |
Japan | |
India | |
Australia | |
South Korea | |
Rest of Asia-Pacific | |
Middle East and Africa | GCC |
South Africa | |
Rest of Middle East and Africa | |
South America | Brazil |
Argentina | |
Rest of South America |
Key Questions Answered in the Report
What is the current value of the orthopedic splints market?
The orthopedic splints market size stood at USD 1.69 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.67 billion by 2030.
Which product type dominates global sales?
Fiberglass splints led the market with 45.42% share in 2024, benefiting from low cost and broad clinical familiarity.
Which region is expanding fastest?
Asia-Pacific is forecast to grow at a 10.59% CAGR through 2030 as insurance coverage broadens and injury incidence climbs.
How are 3-D printed splints influencing growth?
3-D printed custom splints deliver superior patient comfort and shorter lead times, driving a 10.34% CAGR and reshaping competitive dynamics.
Why are thermoplastic materials gaining traction?
Thermoplastics allow remolding during follow-up, improve breathability, and support waterproof designs, factors contributing to their 10.22% CAGR.
What restrains market expansion despite strong demand?
Substitution by functional braces and persistent care-access gaps for minor injuries limit near-term adoption in certain patient groups.
Page last updated on: July 1, 2025