Why do people wear slings when they have a short arm or long arm cast?
To support the weight of the arm and cast. People develop shoulder injuries when the arm just hangs down. It’s just too heavy. Unfortunately, most slings are not fit properly to the patient. I’ve seen people come from the doctor’s office with the sling on wrong side out and too loose. The strap should be snug enough to slightly lift the elbow up to ease the pull at the shoulder. A minor reason they wear them is just to protect the person from reinjury. If you fall, you tend to stick your arm down to catch yourself. Wearing a sling may slow this down. Of course, the fit is not so important in this situation.
