Related Experiment Videos
The effectiveness of strapping techniques in spinal immobilization
1School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Study Objectives:
To test the effectiveness of strapping techniques in reducing lateral motion of volunteers restrained on a backboard.
Design:
Randomized block experimentation.
Setting:
Medical products research and design laboratory.
Participants:
Healthy adult volunteers with no history of head, neck, or back trauma.
Interventions:
Subjects were restrained on a wooden backboard using a control and three variations of strapping techniques. The backboard was rolled 90 degrees to the side, and lateral motion of the torso was measured.
Measurements And Main Results:
Nineteen subjects participated. Technique 2, which added an abdominal strap to the control technique, reduced 26% of the lateral motion.
Conclusion:
Additional, specifically placed strapping should be added to the torso to reduce lateral motion on a backboard. Further study is needed to determine the effect of lateral motion in the spine and potential benefits of reduced motion.