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Treatment of shoulder dislocation: is a sling appropriate?
Author(s) -
Murrell George A C
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05596.x
Subject(s) - sling (weapon) , medicine , internal rotation , external rotation , surgery , splint (medicine) , orthodontics , engineering , mechanical engineering
Acute anterior shoulder dislocations, when managed non‐operatively, have traditionally been treated by placing the arm in a sling. There is no formal evidence that this treatment is of benefit. Three recently reported studies, one in cadavers and two in patients, suggest that the detachment of the structures in the front of the shoulder is made worse when the shoulder is placed in internal rotation, as when the arm is in a sling. By contrast, the structures are realigned when the arm is placed in external rotation. Shoulder dislocations, if managed non‐operatively, should not be treated by placing arms in a sling. Rather, placing them in a splint or using a pillow so that the the arm is externally rotated should be considered.