Upper Extremity Splinting

[Danson]

I was recently asked how I would splint a broken scapula and clavicle and shoulder. My first thought would to just use the good old sling and swathe method...but are there other ways to do this? Any thoughts? Any web resources with pictures?

Thanks!

 

[feldy]

heres a video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI9_Te4-URA&feature=related

you want to go underneath the arm so you do not have anything resting on the injury. Then swath like you normally would. Very easy to do. Just for the patients comfort, maybe don't tie the knot right in the middle of back so when they sit back nothings digging in.

 

[mycrofft]

SAM splint, ladder splint with padding, pillow and Coban.

And , if you have with nothing else, take off shirt, splint to own body using clothing to pad and try to get things in anatomic alignment.

 

[Akulahawk]

Yep. Just do the "old" sling & swath method, keep pressure off the parts that hurt, and try to keep the arm in a position of comfort... hopefully that also happens to be anatomically aligned. If you have enough coban and a little padding, it's pretty easy to get good immobilization without much discomfort. I've yet to use coban for this application, but I've used it many times for other similar applications. It's very useful!

Zonas, a horseshoe pad or two, and coban... very useful for limiting edema in ankle injuries.

 

[Lone Star]

I would personally use a sling and swath, with a pillow for padding between the body and the arm. It helps stabilize the injury, and works well as a 'shock absorber' when going over bumps/loading.