Preventative Measures to Reduce Incidence of Handcuff Neuropathy
Category: Publication
Publication: Journal of Forensic Biomechanics, Vol. 14 Iss. 6 No: 1000464
Authors: Geoffrey T. Desmoulin, Marc-André Nolette, Theodore E. Milner
Summary: Neuropathy due to prolonged restraint in handcuffs remains a significant concern because handcuffs can be inadvertently over-tightened, placing excess pressure on the superficial radial nerve. Recent modifications in handcuff design have begun to address this issue and warrant further investigation. It was hypothesized that a new handcuff design, which prevented over-tightening of handcuffs, would prevent the pressure applied to the superficial radial nerve from exceeding nerve injury risk thresholds. To test this hypothesis we used a physical model of the wrist and superficial radial nerve which allowed measurement of the pressure applied by tightened and artificially loaded handcuffs.
