A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included four studies with a total of 142 subjects. One trial testing a hemisling versus no device reported that no participants had subluxation greater than 10 mm, the same number had lost more than 30 degrees of shoulder external rotation (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.1 to 9.3), and more participants in the hemisling group had pain (OR = 8.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 67.1). The other three showed that strapping was effective in delaying the onset of pain (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 14 days, 95% CI 9.7 to 17.8), but was ineffective in reducing pain severity (WMD = -0.7 cm on a visual analogue scale, 95% CI -2.0 to 0.7), increasing upper limb function (WMD = 0.8, 95% CI -1.5 to 3.1) or affecting the degree of contracture (WMD = -1.4 degrees, 95% CI -10.9 to 8.1) at the shoulder.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate allocation concealment) and imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).
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