Effects of Spinal Immobilization with Backboard at 20 Degrees on Pain and Discomfort Levels

Although spinal immobilization (SI) in the form of reverse Trendelenburg at a 20-degree angle has been shown to reduce undesirable side effects, such as decreased respiratory function seen with 0-degree SI, concerns exist that SI at 20 degrees might increase pain and discomfort, particularly in the lower body, because of gravity.

This study aims to evaluate whether SI at a 20-degree angle results in different levels of pain and discomfort in various body regions compared to SI at a 0-degree angle.

This experimental study was conducted with healthy adult volunteers aged 25 to 45 years who had no chronic illnesses or obesity (body mass index <30). Each volunteer underwent two separate immobilization sessions on different days: once at a 0-degree angle (0-degree group) and once at a 20-degree angle (20-degree group), each lasting 1 hour. Vital signs and pain/discomfort levels by visual analog scale (VAS) were recorded at baseline, 15, 30, and 60 min.

A total of 51 volunteers participated in the study. While a statistically significant increase in pain and discomfort was observed over time in both the 0-degree and 20-degree groups, no statistically significant difference in VAS scores was found between the two groups at any time point.

Although SI at a 20-degree angle does not reduce the pain and discomfort associated with the 0-degree position, it also does not increase these symptoms.