Scapula winger's brace: a case series on the management of long thoracic nerve palsy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical utility of a new scapula winger's brace.

DESIGN

A case series.

SETTING

A tertiary military clinic serving a young population.

PARTICIPANTS

Fourteen patients referred to the clinic for thoracic nerve palsy of a least 3 months' duration.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Manual muscle tests with and without the brace and patients' compliance/satisfaction with brace as measured by personal interview during follow-up.

RESULTS

Muscle strength increased by one grade with brace application; patients who maintained compliance (n = 6) recovered their brace-free shoulder flexion strength and/or had reduced pain at the last follow-up (1 to 7 months after brace). All patients reported a subjective feeling of increased shoulder flexion strength and decreased pain with brace application.

CONCLUSION

The scapula winger's brace is a useful tool for physiatrists in the management of scapular winging secondary to long thoracic nerve palsy. Additional studies are needed to confirm the conclusion that the device's benefits derive from proprioceptive feedback that prevents muscle overuse or overstretch and from its transfer of contralateral shoulder protraction force to the affected scapula.