Review on 🩹 BraceAbility Sarmiento Brace - Effective Humeral Shaft Fracture Splint Cast for a Large Broken Upper Arm, Shoulder, Bicep and Humerus Bone, with Stockinette, Sling, and Cuff Support by Daniel Ortiz

This is the second orthosis I have tried for my humerus that broke the midshaft a few weeks ago, bought on the recommendation of my orthopedic surgeon after using the results of the orthosis he has in his office wore, was dissatisfied so far. Compared to other corsets I have used I see several advantages and disadvantages of each over the other. Pros: Most importantly, this one still holds my humerus in place better than the first one, although I haven't x-rayed it since I got this one to confirm alignment is better. However, it certainly feels a lot safer and for the first time in 2 weeks I've been able to dangle my forearm a bit without much pain (although using a sling is even better for now). .) The shoulder piece and chest strap help to support the weight of the orthosis and shoulder to shoulder. The other brace I used was just around the shoulder itself, so the weight of the brace is just hanging on the (fractured) shoulder. This one that supports its own weight will definitely be appreciated. Cons of this: It's a real pain to put it on properly, especially on your own. As a single person living alone, this is quite uncomfortable and easier for me than for many people. Most of the disadvantages of this bandage are related to this: due to the length of the Velcro straps, they are actually mainly attached to the back of the arm, making it difficult to reach them with the other hand. The loops that the straps go through are (fortunately) on the front of the arm, but the straps are quite long so the velcro is actually mostly attached at the back. Even tightening the straps with one hand is problematic. (Of course, that's all you have since the brace is on the other arm and that arm is broken.) Pull the straps tight enough and then, while holding them, wrap them back under your (broken) arm, to fasten them with Velcro easier said than done. The brace's four plastic panels also tend to move on the Velcro when you tighten them, due to the intense friction between the hands and the panels when the straps are tight. In short, it is not an easy task to correctly position all the plates around the shoulder while simultaneously tightening the straps with one hand. Of course it's a bit easier after the first time when the plates are roughly in the right position, but you still need to control their tendency to move. The other braces I used had a much better solution to this problem. It used laces wound through a ratchet attached to the handle. So to tighten, you literally just had to lock the ratchet and then turn the handle until it was tight enough. To release tension, simply unlock the ratchet by pulling the handle outward. Of course, this is much easier if you only have one hand. Other Cons: The sizes on it are only given by the diameter of the shoulder. In my case, the vertical space reserved for the shoulder is a bit tight. Even though the inside fits completely under my armpit, the shoulder shape on the outside doesn't reach the top of my shoulder very well. On the other hand, I have fairly long arms (the man here is 1.80m tall) and the inside is just the right size for me, so I can understand the feedback from women who said it was too long for them. I wouldn't want it any shorter given my arm length, because then it doesn't support my humerus enough, so the lack of an option for different arm lengths is problematic, especially since the shoulder diameter only moderately correlates with the shoulder. Length (this has more to do with arm muscle and/or fat mass than arm length). According to the manufacturer's website, they are not waterproof and should therefore not be worn in the shower. The other bandage I had was water resistant so it could be worn in the shower although it took a bit of time to remove to dry afterwards. Wearing an orthosis while showering has helped keep my arm more stable while showering. I can still put on the old braces when I shower. Also, these braces aren't waterproof, which means you'll have to deal with the aforementioned pain of the process of wearing these braces every time you shower, which you'll probably want to do more than once every 3 days. They recommend cleaning the braces. General Thoughts: Overall, I still prefer this brace over the other coveralls simply because it seems to do its primary job of better stabilizing my broken humerus so far, while at the same time not laying it down. Weight on the indicated fractured humerus. But it would definitely be nice to see a new shackle that combines the strength of this shackle with the much lighter ratchet (and ideally waterproof materials) of another shackle.