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KED Vest Application - The Shoulder Roll


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I've seen several instructors who teach KED vest application using something called "the shoulder roll" to take up the space between the victims head and the vest.

Once the torso straps are secured, the shoulders are "rolled back" using an upward and backward movement.

It seems to me, first of all, that movement of the shoulders in such a manner would cause motion of sternocleidomastoid muscles, inserted on the clavicles, and the trapezius muscles, inserted on the clavicles and scapulae, just to mention two. It seems that this would cause motion of the cervical spine, which is what we're trying to avoid to begin with.

I've always taught my students that bringing the head into the neutral position, maintaining it as such throughout the vest placement and application, and that avoiding forward motion by the individual stabilizing the head and neck during placement and application, would minimize any space between the head and the vest. Most of the large spaces we end up with between the occipit and the head portion of the vest are the result of the tendency of the person stabilizing the head and neck to flex the neck and upper spine when moving the patient forward to place the vest and then failing to return the head to the neutral position when the victim is moved back against the vest.

Any opinions. Has anyone else heard of the "shoulder roll" or does anyone else teach it.

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Miscusi, I think the original poster wanted a little more info/discussion on its potential for causing further injury.

DocBob, I've never heard of that move, but I don't know how dangerous rolling your shoulders back to create a flatter? position would be...

Like you said, it means one muscle moving another affecting another possibly affecting the neck... Whereas we full on move the neck in order to put it back into neutral in-line position, right? That's way more movement...?

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  • 1 month later...

Ok... The shoulder roll is just a way to put the pt into the neutral inline position if he isnt in it by the time we are going to secure the head. It is done in coordination with the headmans head move. It shouldnt be any worse than putting head in neutral inline at the beginning.

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