Evaluation Of Comfort And User-Friendliness Of Immobilizing Internal Rotation-Adduction Shoulder Braces.

Abstract

Internal rotation-adduction shoulder braces are commonly used to immobilize the shoulder following surgery. This prospective, interventional study aimed to evaluate the comfort and user-friendliness of four such braces frequently employed in postoperative care. Four braces-Shoulder Support®, Actimove Umerus Comfort®, Shouldfix II®, and Shoulder Fix®-were assessed across four medical centers. Patient comfort was evaluated using a 14-item Likert scale questionnaire (maximum score: 70). Additionally, 53 healthcare professionals rated each brace's user-friendliness using a separate 5-question survey. A total of 166 patients were included in the analysis. All four braces received favorable comfort ratings. Shoulder Support® achieved the highest comfort score (60.73), significantly outperforming Actimove® (56.12) and Shouldfix II® (56.38). Regarding user-friendliness, Shoulder Support® (3.89) and Actimove® (3.79) were rated significantly higher than Shoulder Fix® (2.99) by healthcare professionals. To conclude, all braces demonstrated good overall comfort, with Shoulder Support® emerging as the most preferred by patients. In terms of ease of use, both Shoulder Support® and Actimove® were favored by healthcare providers. These results highlight the dual importance of patient comfort and clinical practicality in selecting postoperative shoulder braces.