Written by Hulet Smith, OT
When Anthony (“AJ”) Cooper suffered a severe brachial plexus injury in a motorbike accident, he was faced with the possibility of arm amputation.
In cases of a severe brachial plexus injury, nerves that bring movement and sensation to the arm, hand, and shoulder are pulled out of the spinal cord. This can leave the damaged arm paralyzed - attached to the body, but without function or sensation. The layman’s term for a brachial plexus injury is “flail arm”, due to the arm merely hanging from the body.
A common theme in the aftermath of a permanent injury is a feeling of hopelessness. In most cases, the person coping with severe bodily damage is still the same person they were before sustaining injury - only now, they must find new ways to perform the tasks they love.
Someone with “flail arm” may be full of enthusiasm and passion, but discouraged from participating in sports or balance-related activities for fear of injuring the damaged arm further. This was the case for Anthony Cooper, who struggled to cope with his injury’s implications - until he invented his first lifestyle assistive tool, the Plexfit Sling.
Unwilling to accept his fate as a man with one functioning arm, Anthony went to work creating what is now the Plexfit Athletic Arm Sling in the years following his motorbike accident.
Since 2015, Anthony’s company, Avalanche Studio, has offered the innovative Plexfit Sling in both adult and child models to encourage individuals with sustained bodily trauma to continue living life with confidence and vigor.
Other arm slings on the market claim to be athletic slings, and can be helpful - but only to a degree. Anthony Cooper quickly discovered that no other arm sling on the market truly immobilized his arm, or kept it safe during activities such as running, working out, biking, and doing all the other sports he loved.
Conventional arm slings are designed for short-term use, and don’t protect the limb from activity-related impact. The Plexfit Athletic Sling is designed to be more than just a sling - it is a lifestyle device.
As Avalanche Studio states, they have designed their products “to enhance the quality of life, despite challenges.”
Any person who needs to support and immobilize an arm on a daily basis, either permanently or temporarily, will benefit from owning a Plexfit sling. If you live with an immobile arm and have believed activities such as biking, running or swimming to be impossible - think again. The Plexfit was specifically designed to hand freedom back to individuals previously limited in their recreational activities.
The lightweight, breathable fabric of the sling integrates well with athletic clothing, enhancing activewear with it’s sporty design.
The Plexfit Play Pediatric Sling provides all the same benefits of the adult model, with the addition of an internal arm sleeve for enhanced stabilization. Parents of children using the Plexfit Sling will be able to let their child run and play outside for hours, without fear of causing further injury to the child’s arm.
Tall, petite, thin, built, old, or young - there’s a Plexfit sling for you.
The Plexfit sleeve is built from flexi-fabric, and will contour to arms of different sizes. The sling itself comes in two sizes: Small/Medium and Large/X-Large.
The sizing guide differentiates between men’s and women’s unique measurements, making it even easier to select the proper size. (Visit RehabMart's product page to see a sizing guide that will help you identify the right sling for you!)
Finally, each Plexfit sling is designed for either right or left arm use. Users will have no trouble finding a sling that fits their body type perfectly.
"This PLEXFIT sling has been the ideal solution for me in dealing with my frozen shoulder and shoulder pain!" - Rehabmart customer review of the Plexfit Athletic Sling
"A stylish and perfectly functional product to ease my post-surgery shoulder pain!" - Rehabmart customer review of the Plexfit Athletic Sling
Visit Rehabmart's product page to view the Plexfit slings, and let Plexfit help you or a loved one stay active while enjoying life to the fullest!
Co-founder/CEO of Rehabmart, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, husband, and father. Passionate about connecting special needs kids with superb nutrition, sensory integration, and complementary health strategies. Excited about Rehabmart's mission to become the premier online educational platform which empowers caregivers by spotlighting innovative devices and interventions to achieve optimal patient response and recovery.
