How To Use a Sling

A sling is a type of hanging bandage. You wear it around your neck to protect an injured arm, shoulder, or other body part. You may need to wear a sling so that your injured body part does not move (is immobilized) while it heals.

Keeping the injured part of your body still can lessen pain and speed up healing. Your doctor may suggest that you use a sling if you have:

• A broken arm.
• A broken collarbone.
• A shoulder injury.
• Surgery.

What are the risks?

Wearing a sling is safe. In some cases, wearing a sling the wrong way can:

• Make your injury worse.
• Cause stiffness or loss of feeling (numbness).
• Affect blood flow (circulation) in your arm and hand. This can cause tingling or loss of feeling in your fingers or hands.

How to use a sling

Follow instructions from your doctor about how and when to wear your sling. Your doctor will show you or tell you:

• How to put on the sling.
• How to adjust the sling.
• When and how often to wear the sling.
• How to take off the sling.

The way that you use a sling depends on your injury. Follow these instructions (unless your doctor tells you other instructions):

• Wear the sling so that your elbow bends to the shape of a capital letter “L” (at a 90-degree angle, also called a right angle).
• Make sure the sling supports your wrist and your hand.
• Adjust the sling if your fingers or hand start to tingle or lose feeling.

Follow these instructions at home:

• Try to not move your arm.
• Do not twist, lift, or move your arm in a way that could make your injury worse.
• Do not lean on your arm while you have to wear a sling.
• Do not lift anything while you have to wear a sling.

Contact a doctor if:

• You have:
  • Bruising, swelling, or pain that gets worse.
  • Pain that does not get better with medicine.
  • A fever.
• Your sling:
  • Does not support your arm like it should.
  • Gets damaged.

Get help right away if:

• You lose feeling in your fingers.
• Your fingers:
  • Are tingling.
  • Turn blue.
  • Feel cold to the touch.
• You cannot control the bleeding from your injury.
• You have shortness of breath.

Summary

• A sling is a type of hanging bandage. You wear it around your neck to protect an injured arm, shoulder, or other body part.
• You may need to wear a sling so that your injured body part does not move (is immobilized) while it heals.
• The way that you use a sling depends on your injury. Follow instructions from your doctor about how and when to wear your sling.
• In general, you should wear the sling so that your elbow bends to the shape of a capital letter “L.”