The Effect of Upper Extremity Slings (UESs) on Balance in Young Adults

Introduction: Upper extremity slings (UESs) are frequently provided for patients with a hand or forearm injury. However, their effect on balance has not been well explored. We sought to characterize the effect of a UES on balance in young adults. Methods: Healthy young adult participants with no injuries acting as a proxy for the general young adult patient population using UESs balanced on a BioDex Balance System platform: once while wearing a UES and once without wearing it, to serve as their own control. Participant weight, height, gender, hand dominance, overall stability index, anterior/posterior stability index, and medial/lateral stability index were recorded. Comparisons were analyzed with paired t-tests and linear regression analysis. Results: No significant difference in the three stability index scores were found between UES and no UES usage. Height and weight were found to have positive significant relationships with the overall stability index during UES usage. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of assessing balance discrepancies between the sling and nonsling usage in a broader patient population and suggests that height and weight may impact balance negatively during UES use.