Removing the sling reduces pain immediately after shoulder surgery

Background A broad arm sling is traditionally applied following shoulder surgery for protection of repair and ‘for comfort’. It has never been proved however that the use of a sling actually leads to reduced pain. The aim of our prospective study was to quantify a patient's immediate post-surgical pain with and without a sling, with the hypothesis being that it is in fact more comfortable not to have it on. Methods Following surgery, a sling was applied as usual, and a pain score obtained within the first 4 hours. The sling was then removed and the score immediately repeated. The sling was left off until discharge, then used again as dictated by the nature of the surgery performed. Results The mean pain score prior to sling removal was 4.59. The mean score following sling removal was 3.24, a mean reduction in 10-point Numerical Pain Scale of 1.35 points (p < 0.001). Sixty-two out of 85 patients experienced some reduction in pain after removal of the sling. No patient reported an increase in pain. Discussion Our study shows that the simple action of allowing the operated arm to rest free of a sling reduces pain in the immediate post-surgical period.