Restraint Asphyxia - Silent Killer

Okay, so Street Warrior_RLSH has just subdued The Taint_RLSV with his unbeatable Big Dong-Fu.. The problem is, the police probably won't show up the second 911 is dialed. The authorities could take awhile before arriving. That means The Taint_RLSV will have to be restrained, especially if he still has some fight left in him.. and they usually do when they know they're going to jail. Depending on where you are, you will either be allowed to use mechanical restraints, but if not, then you'll have to do it the old fashioned way and physically restrain him.

(I'm going to assume that you are all good boys and girls and are not only aware of the laws and regulations in your area concerning the possession and use of mechanical restraints (i.e. hand cuffs, zip ties, etc), but that you have actually sought out training to use them instead of watching a YouBoob video or reading a three page pamphlet that came with your shiny new eBay purchase.)

One of the dangers of improperly restraining a suspect (they are all suspects until proven guilty in a court of law), is that improper use of the restraints, or physical techniques can cause what is known as Positional or Restraint Asphyxiation. Even certain choke techniques, or strikes to the throat, can cause swelling after the pressure has been taken off that will cause asphyxia, or loss of blood to the brain. A suspect could be fine one minute, unconscious the next.. and dead not long after.

He's in your custody, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!

Now there is a lot of information on this topic, too much for me to write a quick post about. If you TLDR (Too Long; Didn't Read) the following, you are placing yourself AND your associates in danger of losing everything, including their freedom. Don't bury your head in the sand. You've chosen this responsibility, so man up and do the studying and training.

The following is a leading expert site resource on Restraint Asphyxia, it has plenty of good diagrams to go along with the explanations:

RESTRAINT ASPHYXIA – SILENT KILLER Part ONE
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RESTRAINT ASP HYXIA – SILENT KILLER Part TWO
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Here is a link to the complete PDF file, including all the references:
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Quote :

From Wikipedia

Positional asphyxia, is also known as postural asphyxia, is a form of asphyxia which occurs when someone's position prevents them from breathing adequately. A small but significant number of people die suddenly and without apparent reason during restraint by police, prison (corrections) officers and health care staff.[1] Positional asphyxia may be a factor in some of these deaths.

* Positional asphyxia is a potential danger of some physical restraint techniques,
* People may die from positional asphyxia by simply getting themselves into a breathing-restricted position they cannot get out of, either through carelessness or as a consequence of another accident.

Research has suggested that restraining a person in a face down position is likely to cause greater restriction of breathing than restraining a person face up.[2] Many law enforcement and health personnel are now taught to avoid restraining people face down or to do so only for a very short period of time.[1] Risk factors which may increase the chance of death include obesity, prior cardiac or respiratory problems, and the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine.[3] Almost all subjects who have died during restraint have engaged in extreme levels of physical resistance against the restraint for a prolonged period of time.[3] Other issues in the way the subject is restrained can also increase the risk of death, for example kneeling or otherwise placing weight on the subject and particularly any type of restraint hold around the subject's neck. Research measuring the effect of restraint positions on lung function suggests that restraint which involves bending the restrained person or placing body weight on them, has more effect on their breathing than face down positioning alone [4]

There is a degree of controversy amongst researchers regarding the extent to which restraint positions restrict breathing. Some researchers report that when they conducted laboratory studies of the effects of restraint on breathing and oxygen levels, the effect was limited.[5] Other researchers point out that deaths in real life situations occur after prolonged, violent resistance which has not been studied in laboratory simulations.[6]

I placed this post in the Martial Arts section because a lot of it applies to physical techniques.

Sounds good.

Great post. One thing I might point out here is, although some might say much of this information seems like common sense, it is still good to read it, and especially to train it. In the heat of an encounter you want this to be second nature, because there may not be time to think about it.

Police Academy 101 stuff... Wish we had a physical RLSH academy.

Someone said they're going to start a RLSH Boot Camp on the .org site; I think they said it's going to be in Florida(?)
Zombie knows more about what's going on than I do though

The boob camp is supposed to be in New York state. I'm sure they're going to teach various restraint techniques there. Looks promising.

Last time I restrained anyone, it was a 200 lb drunk. I was using all my personal restraint not to strangle him while I was restraining him after he beat on his GF and took a swing at some old man.

Who is going to be leading this "RLSH boot camp"? It sounds like a liability lawsuit waiting to happen. I would like to see a curriculum as well, specifically outlining the mental aspects of patrolling for crime.

I wouldn't incur any more liability than the average martial arts school. Most of them are insured. So this place if it is to really exist will require someone with some business acumen.

Insurance is what I'm wondering about, as well as the technical ability of the person running the camp. If its not laid out like an actual business, I would run from it.

Leviathan wrote:

The boob camp is supposed to be in New York state. I'm sure they're going to teach various restraint techniques there. Looks promising.

Really, Leviathan? Boob camp?? Sigh

Desert Eagle wrote:

Leviathan wrote:

The boob camp is supposed to be in New York state. I'm sure they're going to teach various restraint techniques there. Looks promising.

Really, Leviathan? Boob camp?? Sigh

Ever since they got rid of the edit button...

Could be worse, at least it's not "dick hunting" like the other post.

Hahaha, I remember that! "dick hunting"

Regarding positional asphyxiation.

I spend a lot of time with rope and this come up from time to time. As the wiki says, it comes from being restrained in a position where an individual is unable to adequately breathe. Just so we know what that means, it means your body is either compressed or stretched in a way that prevents your lungs from filling.

What positions are at risk?

1. Arms being extended above the head and usually in a suspended or weight-bearing position as it causes the thoracic cavity to compress due to stretching.

2. Arms being restrained behind the back and body folded forward. Usually this is an ebi-shibari tie. This tie is intentionally fucked up and was used for interrogations. If you're using it in an RLSH setting, you're fucking wrong. The thoracic cavity is compressed and shoulder pulled back so it compresses the diaphragm.

3. Hog-ties. A normal hog-tie won't do too much, but if you pull it tight it'll stretch out the body making it hard to breathe.

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The most common injury in restraints is nerve damage caused from improper application.