Front-open Soft Collar for the Patients of Difficulty in Elevating Upper Extremities Caused by Cervical Diseases

Abstract

A cervical collar is commonly used for a wide variety of cervical disorders which require immobilization of the cervical spine. However, those who have difficulty in sufficiently elevating upper extremities are unable to put on and remove conventional rear-open collars by themselves. For such patients the authors developed a specially designed front-open soft collar which incorporates a pair of pull-cords with a ring at each end. Six adult patients with cervical spine disorders caused by rheumatoid arthritis (5), and C5 radiculopathy due to cervical spondylosis, were able to use the device without assistance. The front-open collars took these patients only 15 seconds on average (range, 5-33 seconds) to put on and 8 seconds (range, 4-16 seconds) to remove.