A standard bath towel can work as an effective arm sling in a pinch. The key is folding it into a triangle, positioning your arm at a 90-degree bend at the elbow, and tying the ends securely behind your neck. The whole process takes about two minutes.
What You Need
A regular bath towel (roughly 27 by 52 inches) is the ideal size. Larger beach towels work too but create more bulk. The goal is a piece of fabric about 40 inches square, which a standard bath towel approximates once you adjust the fold. Thinner towels are easier to tie and less likely to slip, while thicker ones offer more cushioning but can be harder to knot securely.
You’ll also want a safety pin if you have one, and something soft to pad the back of your neck, like a folded washcloth or small hand towel.
Folding the Towel
Lay the towel flat on a table or the floor. Fold it diagonally corner to corner so you end up with a triangle. If your towel is rectangular rather than square, fold or roll one edge inward first to make it roughly square before folding diagonally. You want a triangle with one long edge and two shorter sides of roughly equal length. The long edge will cradle your forearm, and the two pointed ends will tie behind your neck.
If the towel is too thick to fold neatly into a triangle, you can skip the triangle method entirely. Instead, fold the towel lengthwise into a long strip about four to five inches wide. This creates a simple collar-and-cuff sling, which loops under your wrist and ties behind your neck. It provides less forearm support but works well for collarbone or elbow injuries where you mainly need to take the weight off the arm.
Positioning Your Arm
Before tying anything, get your arm into the right position. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees so your forearm is level with the ground, parallel to the floor. Your hand should sit slightly higher than your elbow. Keep your wrist straight or angled very slightly upward, not drooping down. Your palm should face your body.
This position matters because it minimizes strain on the shoulder joint, keeps swelling down in the hand and fingers, and prevents the elbow from stiffening at an awkward angle. If pain prevents you from bending the elbow to 90 degrees, support the arm in whatever position feels most comfortable rather than forcing it.
Tying the Triangle Sling
With the triangle laid flat, place your injured arm across it so the elbow sits at the point of the triangle and your forearm rests along the long edge. The bottom of the towel should reach the base of your little finger, leaving all your fingertips and nails visible. Being able to see your fingertips is important for checking circulation later.
Take the top corner of the triangle (the one closest to your neck on the injured side) and drape it over your shoulder on the injured side, letting the end hang behind your neck. Now bring the bottom corner up and over your opposite shoulder. Tie the two ends together behind your neck using a square knot (right over left, then left over right) so it sits to one side rather than directly on your spine.
If there’s extra fabric bunched near your elbow, fold it forward and pin it with a safety pin to create a snug pocket. The sling should hold your forearm securely without your arm sliding out the back.
Tying the Strip Sling
If you folded the towel into a long strip instead, the process is simpler. Loop the middle of the strip under your wrist and forearm. Bring both ends up and tie them behind your neck with a square knot. Adjust the length so your elbow stays at 90 degrees and your hand sits slightly above elbow height. This style doesn’t cradle the full forearm, so it works best when you mainly need to keep the arm still and supported against your body rather than fully immobilized.
Padding the Neck
The knot behind your neck will start to dig in quickly, especially with a towel, which is bulkier than medical sling fabric. Fold a washcloth or small hand towel into a rectangle and slide it between the knot and your skin. This distributes pressure across a wider area and prevents the friction and soreness that makes people take their sling off too early. If you don’t have a second cloth, shift the knot to the side of your neck rather than the center, where the muscles are thicker and less sensitive.
Checking Circulation
Once the sling is on, check your fingers every 30 minutes or so. Press firmly on a fingernail for a few seconds until the nail bed turns white, then release. The color should return to normal pink within two seconds. If it takes longer, the sling may be too tight or your hand is positioned too low. Loosen the knot slightly and elevate your hand.
Also watch for numbness, tingling, increased swelling, or fingers that look blue or feel cold. These are signs that blood flow is being restricted, and you should loosen or remove the sling immediately and reposition.
When a Towel Sling Isn’t Enough
A towel sling is a temporary measure to stabilize an injury until you can get proper care. It reduces pain by keeping the arm still and takes weight off the shoulder, but it doesn’t set bones or treat the underlying injury.
Certain signs mean the injury needs emergency attention rather than just home immobilization: visible deformity like a bent or crooked arm or wrist, inability to rotate your forearm from palm-up to palm-down, numbness in the fingers or hand, and severe swelling that keeps getting worse. Excessive swelling that develops 24 to 48 hours after an injury can cut off blood supply to part of the arm, a condition called compartment syndrome that requires surgery. Any pain severe enough that you can’t use the arm normally warrants a same-day medical visit.
Adjustments for Different Injuries
For a wrist or forearm injury, use the full triangle sling so the fabric cradles the entire forearm and takes weight off the wrist. Keep the hand slightly elevated above the elbow to reduce swelling.
For a shoulder or collarbone injury, the strip-style sling often works better because it allows you to keep the arm closer to the body without the bulk of a full triangle pulling on the shoulder. You can add a second strip of fabric tied around your torso and over the sling to pin the arm against your chest, which limits shoulder movement and reduces pain.
For an elbow injury where you can still bend the joint, either style works. If the elbow can’t bend, don’t force it into a 90-degree sling. Instead, use a long towel or bedsheet to strap the arm against your body in whatever position it’s already in, and get medical help promptly.