Patent ID: 7198609

Claim:
A method for splinting a rib injury comprising the steps of: a) attaching a pair of anchor strips which have a plurality of fasteners attached to one side of said strips, more or less vertically, to the surface of the skin of a chest cavity with an adhesive, said strips being more or less equidistantly displaced from a rib injury, in a manner to allow at least one elastomeric strap with at least two fastener receivers to be positioned across the injury and said fastener receiver to be coupled to said fasteners; b) positioning the at least one elastomeric strap with said fastener receivers across the injury, and stretching said at least one strap so as to produce an initial tension in said at least one elastonteric strap, and c) coupling said fasteners to said at least two fastener receivers which are attached to said at least one elastomeric strap, thereby providing a stabilizing force to said injury.