SPECIAL REPORT
DutySmith SpeedSet Duty Belt
LONG BEACH POLICE CLINICAL STUDY…THE EFFECTS OF THE SPEEDSET DUTY BELT SYSTEM IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH BACK PAIN
By Kenneth S. Cheng, D.O.
Back pain and radicular leg pain are common complaints of law enforcement offi cers and result in a signifi cant economic burden in terms of lost days of work, light duty work, tem- porary and permanent disability, worker’s compensation ben- efi ts, healthcare premiums, and community safety. Commonly, the etiology of this back and radicular leg pain is due to the equipment worn on the duty belt during the course of work. The Sam Browne duty belt has been in existence since the
19th century, with early versions having a vertical shoulder strap attached to the belt for the purpose of additional support. Nearly all U.S. versions of the Sam Browne exclude the verti- cal support, placing the entire weight of the belt and attached equipment solely on the hips and lower back. DutySmith has manufactured the SpeedSet Duty belt with two
primary purposes in mind: 1) providing additional comfort while wearing the duty belt; and 2) convenience of placing attachments to the duty belt. The comfort is derived from a unique design using rubber padding that encompasses a fl exible metal frame. The metal frame better distributes the weight of the equipment attached to the belt and minimizes “hot spots” commonly found on leather and nylon belts. The convenience of the SpeedSet comes from the ability to place and remove attachments (hol- sters, magazine holders, cuff cases, key holders, etc.) directly on the belt without having to remove the buckle and other at- tachments. This study only focused on the comfort of the belt. The clinical study was performed on law enforcement offi cers
of the Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach, Calif. Inclu- sionary criteria for study subjects included individuals who were currently experiencing back or radicular leg pain of moderate or greater intensity during their course of work. Study subjects had an average tenure of 14.2 years in law enforcement work, included both male and female offi cers, and performed duties from routine patrol, patrol sergeants, and command staff. All study subjects provided information on their current medical history as it pertained to their back and/or radicular leg pain, and were provided a focused medical examination by a physician. Study subjects then wore the SpeedSet belt for the 15 weeks of the study. At the conclusion of the study, all subjects were again medically examined and provided a post- study evaluation of their back and/or radicular leg pain. Ten offi cers participated in the study. Nine of the study sub-
jects reported statistically signifi cant improvement in their pain and one offi cer reported no change in their pain level. Spe- cifi cally, there were statistically signifi cant reductions in pain frequency, pain intensity, and baseline level of pain. No offi cers reported any worsening of their symptoms. Objective medical fi ndings included increased range of motion in fl exion and side bending at the conclusion of the study.
In a clinical study of 10 police officers, nine reported significant reductions in pain frequency, pain intensity, and baseline level of pain.
Study participants were also provided an option of providing comments pre- and post-study. Of particular interest were the comments of two patrol offi cers who noted that wearing the SpeedSet Duty Belt was as if they “weren’t wearing a belt at all.” Additional comments included complete resolution of pain, the ability to return to work sooner, and both diffi culty and ease of use of the buckle. The SpeedSet belt system provided both subjective and ob-
jective improvement in back and/or leg pain experienced by law enforcement offi cers during their course of work. Although the study size was limited, the inclusionary criteria of having mod- erate or greater active back and/or radicular leg pain provided greater opportunity to focus on the benefi ts of this belt system. Further study may be needed to confi rm similar fi ndings in
those who only experience minor pain or discomfort from their Sam Browne belt, or to determine if the SpeedSet belt system may also be effective in preventing back pain. Additionally, fur- ther evaluation may be warranted to look at the convenience of the SpeedSet belt system. The results of this preliminary study may provide law enforcement departments an additional option in addressing equipment-induced back pain and/or leg pain in their offi cers.
Kenneth S. Cheng, D.O., Fellow American Academy of Family Physicians, is the author and investigator of this study. He is an active reserve deputy sheriff and tactical physician for the SWAT unit of his department (and is not a member of the department that participated in this study). Dr. Cheng is a family physician in Newport Beach, Calif. He has no fi nancial ownership interest in DutySmith, but was compensated for his time in performing this study.
46 LAW and ORDER I May 2014
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