Care of Cast

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Care of Cast

Ray tomasulo

Casts support your broken bones, torn ligaments or tendons, and soft tissue while your body heals itself. They are custom made to fit the injured area after your physician places your injured limb back into the right position,

Tips to Survive Life in a Cast

Coping with Swelling

You may experience swelling for the first 2 to 3 days after getting a cast. If this happens, your skin will feel snug within the cast.

Carefully and frequently moving your uninjured toes or fingers on your injured leg or arm frequently can reduce stiffness.

Elevating your injured limb for the first 24 to 72 hours can reduce swelling. Use a pillow to prop your limb above your heart to help your blood circulate back to your heart better.

Applying ice with a dry ziplock bag over your cast while your limb is elevated can also help with swelling. It may sound weird to put ice on a cast, but it just may work. Make sure to loosely wrap the ice around your cast on top of the injured area, and make sure it covers as much of the injured area as possible to provide the most relief. Be careful not to let the ice leak or drip onto the cast, and only apply ice for 15 to 30 minutes at a time.

Coping with Itchiness

Itchiness is a common nuisance when you have a cast. While it may be tempting to stick something down the cast to relieve that itch, there are safer ways to cope.

If you get your cast wet, your limb may become itchy or irritated. Take extra precautions to keep your cast dry around water, such as during a shower or bath. Exposure to water can damage the cast. If your cast does get wet, you can try to dry it out with a blowdryer on the cool setting.

Don't stick items - such as hangers - in your cast in an attempt to ease the itchiness. This can cause soreness.

Stay away from dirt, sand, and powders, which can make itching or skin irritation worse. If you have a waterproof cast, rinsing the area with clean, cool water after excessive sweating can prevent sores and itchiness from developing. Allow the water to drain once the area is soothed.

Don't use hangers, butter knives, and other thin objects to scratch your skin within your cast. This can break your skin and cause irritation. Instead, use a blowdryer on the cool setting and aim it at the cast opening to relieve your itching. An alternative to the blowdryer is placing the casted limb in front of a fan.

see your physician right away if you lose the ability to move your fingers and toes.

References:Care For Your Cast. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://sites.google.com/a/orthohyd.com/www/home/know-your-treatment/medical-evidence-based-practise?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1