Description
- Abstract:
- An arm sling is commonly used to help heal a broken limb by limiting its movement. While its benefits have been clearly established, it also may have drawbacks that have not been fully studied yet. The purpose of this project is to add research literature to the relationship between arm slings and impaired balance, which can lead to further bodily harm. It also aims to question the common use of the arm sling when treating shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries by demonstrating how the drawback of imbalance outweighs the benefit of the sling. Recruited subjects balanced on a BioDex Balance System platform, one time with a sling and one time without. Demographic information, including age, gender, ethnicity, race, height, and weight were recorded for each subject. Overall stability index, anterior/posterior stability index, medial/lateral stability index, and associated standard deviations were calculated and recorded for each trial that the subject balanced on the board, either with or without the sling. There was no significant relationship between sling/no-sling usage and overall/anterior-posterior/medial-lateral stability index scores. Regression analysis revealed significant association between higher stability index and height/weight. No evidence was found to suggest that slings impact balance – however, higher weight and height may be associated with worse balance when wearing a sling. In future studies, more subjects and injured participants will be recruited to expand the study.
- Notes:
- Scholarly concentration: Non-Scholarly Concentrator
Access Conditions
- Use and Reproduction
- All rights reserved
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Restrictions on Use
- All Rights Reserved
Citation
Rhee, Ben, Vishwanath, Neel, Crozier, Joseph, et al.,
"The Effect of Arm Slings on Balance in Young Adults"
(2022).
Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:cyw5ay22/
Relations
Collection:
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Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium
The Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium is an annual event at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University that provides Year II medical students a venue to present their summer research in a poster format. Participation in the Symposium …...