Shoulder Immobilizer: A Proper Guide
Let’s discuss Shoulder Immobilizer in detail with its various parts, their functions and how to use it. First of all, I tell you what is a Shoulder Immobilizer?
What is a shoulder immobilizer?
A shoulder immobilizer is an appliance that prevents your arm from excessive movements while your arm or shoulder is healing. A shoulder immobilizer is different from a sling because it keeps your arm close to your body. And a sling just keeps your arm in a horizontal position and don’t keep your arm close to the body as it can move away from the body.
A shoulder immobilizer limits your move that how much you should move during the healing processor.
Shoulder immobilizer mostly used in shoulder dislocation or shoulder fracture where more activity of shoulder can worsen the situation.
If you have a minor shoulder injury or have pain in the shoulder then do not use an immobilizer and visit your doctor for proper checkups. Usually, after a serious accident, it happens that any physician recommends a shoulder immobilizer. So first go for a proper visit to your doctor
Parts of shoulder immobilizer:
Each part of the Shoulder immobilizer is designed to limit moments and to keep close your arm to your body.
A normal shoulder immobilizer has some basic parts given below:
Chest band
It’s the base of a shoulder immobilizer and also wider and longer than other strips
This part usually straps around the chest with the help of your healthy arm.
It supports your back and your shoulder. Try to wrap around the belly lower the nipple line for comfort like not too high not too low.
Upper arm cuff
The upper arm cuff of the shoulder immobilizer is to cover the rest of the arm like the biceps and it also helps to maintain the angle of the elbow.
It will increase the grip of the hand wear strap .it also help to close the biceps with the chest.
Hand wear cuff
This is basically for griping your hand or wrist at a certain point or wherever you want it to be.it covers the whole hand plus the lower arm.
This part is for holding your hand tight and steady. It keeps a soft grip on your hand.
Over the shoulder strap.
This is used for shoulder support as with this hand become immobilized.
This part prevents downward moments of your arm.
Moreover, use buckles to adjust your arms position. Your arm should be at a 90° angle from your shoulder in front of your body.
Shoulder caps:
Some shoulder immobilizer has shoulder cap it is especially for support furthermore it enhances immobilization
Give warmth and helps in healing
Arm cast protector of shoulder immobilizer:
It protects the injured arm from water and keeps your wound dry during a shower. This is reusable and not much expensive .usually it no need any taps or Velcro for attachment.
How to wear shoulder immobilizer?
It’s not a big deal firstly, your doctor will instruct you that how to wear a shoulder immobilizer, furthermore here are some steps it will help you to enhance your knowledge and in utilizing this device more.
- Fix chest band:
First of all, as the name said you need to fix your chest band on your chest and close the Velcro tightly. The band will curl up but not too tight.
- Set your hand or wrist:
Bend your arm carefully and set your injured hand in the wrist or hand wear cuff and close its Velcro tightly. It has limited Velcro so it will not close too tightly.
- Close to chest :
Now cover the upper arm cuff around the biceps and pulled its long Velcro to the front and make sure your wrist is close to the chest then fix it.
- Shoulder support:
In the end, use your over the shoulder strap and attach its first point to the back of the chest band then brought the second point over the none injured shoulder and attached to the front of the shoulder immobilizer.
Why should use a shoulder immobilizer:
After arm injuries, it becomes more necessary to protect your arms from pulling, hardly touched, and excessive moments of your arm. For all such situations, a shoulder immobilizer becomes an urgent requirement for an effective person.
The injured person should use a shoulder immobilizer as prescribed by physicians it covers your arms, keeps warmed, saves them from water and accidentally pulling or touched. Moreover, it limits your hand/arm movement and enhances the healing process.
A shoulder immobilizer prevents unconscious positions, in sleep time to protect your injury from getting worse.
The joint dislocation usually can’t be healed without immobilizing the arms or due to any circumstances when an immobilizer is not utilized, it creates more injuries and worsen the wound and if the joint healed there are more possibilities that the joint attached at the wrong place.
How to avoid rash when using shoulder immobilizer:
Do not apply any shoulder immobilizer directly on your skin as it can cause rashes.
A shoulder immobilizer is a device which wears by a patient for many hours .they are mostly made up of warm clothes to protect your injured part. For proper utilizing of shoulder immobilizer, I recommend you use a T-shirt under the immobilizer. Use any shirt which can cover your arm, as it will help to keep warm your arm and will protect you from rash due to the immobilizer.
Moreover use a piece of cloth under the armpit to avoid rash due to sweat and it will keep drying your armpit.
Use a soft pillow behind your elbow whenever you go to bed either for sleep or just for comfort.
Sleeping with shoulder immobilizer:
It’s tricky to sleep with a shoulder immobilizer. During sleep, you can’t change your position with it and a constant bend arm can create an uncomfortable condition. Well, I have some tips for you which will help in a little comfortable sleep.
First, use a soft pillow under your armpit as I said before. Pillow will help in little ventilation during deep nap and will give a little comfort.
Moreover use two or three pillows and set them aside of your both arms.
For a normal person in summer try to sleep under a high-speed fan, sweat problems, redness, and rashes occur in the hot summer to avoid this sleep and spend most of your time in a cool and airy place.
In winter cases for rashes due to immobilizer are not seen but the numbness and freezing arm saw. To avoid numbness try to take off your immobilizer for few mines and then put it on again.
Health benefits of a shoulder immobilizer:
Joints play a vital role in movement and the shape of your body. A little negligence cause defects in your bones and joints.
A shoulder immobilizer supports the injured, weak, partially paralyzed wrist/arm or shoulder. Shoulder immobilizer comfort and stabilize and keeps the shoulder in place which can’t be done on your own.
Decreases abduction and arm activity by placing the arm close to the body.
Comforts the patient by decreasing the pain.
Protection from hard touch and pulling is its main advantage.
Material used in the manufacturing a shoulder immobilizer:
Just like other immobilizers shoulder immobilized also should have the best quality stuff as it is used by weak patients.
It should have the best quality stuff because it is directly touched naked skin for a long time.
A best quality shoulder immobilizer is made up of hygienic, breathable, and soft cotton in it. For outer cover mostly soft and sterile pieces If pleasant cloths.
Moreover, it has long Velcro strips to keep in place every part. Some immobilizers have additional pockets for hands and mobile or other devices.
How long should wear a shoulder Immobilizer:
Keep it wear until the suggested time by your physician over.
However, it depends on the injury. If you have a minor defect then your suffering time is short or if your arm is broken badly then time will starch until your arm completely recovered.
Some people get tired in few hours after wearing it. Wearing it feels like seized by a broken arm. For comfort in stating days try to wear 15 to 30 mints or day. Not necessarily wear for 24 hours. If you feel tired then take it off for few hours. For sake of your health gradually increase the time until your body gets used to the correct position.
But you have to wear it for freedom, from it. Yes I know it sounds like you need an id card to get an ID card. But here the question is about your health.
Where to buy shoulder Immobilizer:
You can get a standard one from any health care shop if your physician has not any of it in stock.
Moreover, you can buy it online as many websites are selling it at appropriate prices with good quality stuff. Some shoulder immobilizer additionally has pockets for different applications.
Drawbacks of shoulder immobilizer:
Everything has some pros and cons.
Due to excessive and careless use and redness and rashes can appear on your skin.
It causes muscle weakness and tends to further injuries due to adding weight to the neck muscles.
A wrong type of immobilizer can worsen the situation, always use or buy the suggested shoulder immobilizer as it differs according to injuries.
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