Only now can I thank the originator (??) of this idea - Stefan K!

Back when I originally read about his popsicle splint in 2018 I didn't take much notice because for my first surgery for DC I had a good thermoplastic splint made for me by the hand therapist for my l.h. pinkie and I wore it for a year.

For my second surgery the following year on my r.h. middle finger I was told I didn't need a splint, which I now regret because the popsicle idea would have helped. The finger could have been straighter than it is.

Third time around it's my r.h. pinkie and the hand therapist made me two splints, neither of which I could tolerate for more than about half an hour at a time. That's when I remembered I could make myself a splint.
Rather than a popsicle stick I've used a wide emery board made of thick cardboard, 2 cm wide and 18 cm. long. I trimmed it to 11 cm because I have small (female) hands but it should be long enough to give adequate leverage from the hand/palm against the finger, worn from the front.
I didn't initially think of using a cycling glove to hold it in place but have just read this today (thanks, Stefan!) and it's a brilliant idea! But I've been using a tubular bandage over the hand (with a thumb hole cut out) and attached the emery board to my hand with velcro around the palm and a small piece holding the board to the pinkie. This has in fact worked so well that the hand therapist was impressed with the straightness of my finger, and because I can also nearly make a fist thanks to the exercises I don't need to go back for a month. She didn't even bother to make me another splint!
I've just tried a cycling glove to hold it because I discovered how helpful cycling gloves are during the recovery phase, e.g. for driving, vacuuming and other jobs where comfort is needed for the palm of the hand. The glove holds the emery board pushed from the bottom of the glove up the front of the finger and this is so much easier than fiddling around with bits of velcro!

If I hadn't found this forum back in 2018 I wouldn't have known how to splint my finger - which I do believe is important.