Cast Care

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

A cast is a hard piece of plaster or fiberglass that is placed around a body part. There are many reasons why a person may need a cast. After a bone fracture (break) a cast helps keep bone pieces in the right place, and stops them from moving. If you have surgery to put together broken bones, a cast helps support the area while it heals. If you injure a ligament (tissue that connects one bone to another bone) a cast can help the ligament rest and heal. Casts may also be used to correct bones that did not grow as they should. In this case, you may need several different casts applied over a period of time.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take your medicine as directed:

Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not working as expected. Tell him if you are allergic to any medicine. Keep a current list of the medicines, vitamins, and herbs you take. Include the amounts, and when, how, and why you take them. Take the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits. Carry your medicine list with you in case of an emergency. Throw away old medicine lists.

Ask for information about where and when to go for follow-up visits:

For continuing care, treatments, or home services, ask for more information.

Your caregiver will check if the bones are healing well and if there are other problems. You may need more x-rays to check how your bones are healing.

Caring for the cast while it hardens:

Your cast may take up to 48 hours (two days) to completely dry and harden. It needs to be hard and very strong to hold the body part steady. Do the following:

• Do not bend, lean on, or hit the cast with anything until it completely hardens.
  
  
• Keep the cast clean and dry. Getting it wet will soften it and change its shape.
  
  
• Move and change your position every two hours to help the cast dry faster. Ask for help if you cannot move easily by yourself. Place the casted body part on something soft, such as a pillow. This will prevent the cast from getting flat in one area.
  
  
• Stay in a place with a slight breeze, and leave your cast uncovered to help it dry faster.
  
  
• Use the palm of your hand or hands if you need to lift your cast. Do not press on or pick up the cast with your fingers, as this can leave little dimples on it as it is drying.

Protecting the cast from damage:

• Check for any cracks, dents, dimples, holes, or flaking areas on the cast every day.
  
  
• Do not break off rough edges or trim the cast. Let your caregiver do this for you.
  
  
• Do not let anyone push down or lean on any part of the cast because it may break.
  
  
• Keep the cast clean and dry.

Keeping the cast clean and dry:

Keep the cast clean and dry to prevent it from getting soft and weak. The cast may not be able to hold your body parts in place if it breaks or changes shape. If this happens, the body area in the cast may not heal well. Do the following:

• Cover your cast with a towel or a large T-shirt when you are eating. This will help prevent food and drinks from spilling on or into the cast.
  
  
• Keep dirt, sand, and powder away from the inside of your cast.
  
  
• Wrap the cast with towels or plastic trash bags while you take a bath. Wash the skin that is not covered by the cast with soap and water every day. Certain casts can get wet or even soak in water. Ask your caregiver if your cast needs to be kept away from water, or if it can go in water.
  
  
• You may use a hair dryer set on the lowest heat setting to dry a cast that gets wet. This may dry the cast faster than just letting it dry by itself. Make sure that the hair dryer is not blowing air that is too hot or you may get burned.
  
  
• Use a mild detergent and a washcloth to wipe dirt and grime off the cast.

Caring for the edges of the cast:

You or your caregiver may fix the cast edges to keep them smooth. This will help stop your skin from scraping against rough edges on the cast. Do the following:

• Cut pieces of waterproof tape about four inches long.
  
  
• Place one end of the tape under the inside edge of the cast and wrap it onto its outside surface.
  
  
• Overlap the tape strips until the edges of the cast are completely covered.
  
  
• Do not pull or fix any of the padding inside the cast. This could cause blisters and wounds.

Windowing:

Windowing is when your caregiver cuts away a small piece from the cast. He uses this opening to check and care for incisions (cuts) from surgery or other wounds. The piece that was cut out looks like a small window. The cast piece can be placed back on to close the opening. Closing the opening tightly will help prevent dirt from going in, and the skin under the window from swelling.

Keeping yourself comfortable:

• Find a relaxing position while sitting or lying down. Prop yourself with small pillows or a rolled towel, or use a bean-bag chair. Do not rest any body part on a hard surface for long periods of time. This may cause pressure sores. Ask caregivers for more information on preventing pressure sores.
  
  
• If your skin under the cast is itchy, blow cool air under the cast. You may also gently stroke your skin outside the cast with a piece of cotton or cloth. Do not use a sharp or pointed object to scratch the skin under the cast. This may cause wounds that can get infected, or you may lose the item inside the cast.
  
  
• If you need to lie down, turn from front to back or side to side every 2 to 4 hours during the day. Do this as often as you can during the night. You may do this on your own, or you may ask someone to help you.
  
  
• Keep your mind off the cast by reading books and magazines or playing video games.
  
  
• Raise the affected arm or leg a bit higher than your chest to decrease any swelling. You may also wrap some ice in a small towel, and put it near the painful areas.

Removing the cast:

Your caregiver will tell you when it is time to remove the cast. To cut away the cast he may use a tool which may be noisy. You may think that the tool may cut your skin under your cast. This is unlikely, but you need to stay still while the cast is being removed. The skin under the cast may look different from other areas of skin. In time this will change and will look like the rest of your skin.

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

• Something falls into the cast and gets stuck.
  
  
• You are not having regular bowel movements or you are not able to urinate.
  
  
• You cannot make it to your next appointment.
  
  
• You feel pain, burning, or weakness in the casted body area, or it is very itchy.
  
  
• You have a fever.
  
  
• You have sores, blisters, or breaks on the skin around the edges of the cast.
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your condition, care, or medicines.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

• There is no space between your skin and the cast, and your cast looks or feels tighter than it has before.
  
  
• You have trouble breathing and chest pain.
  
  
• You have very bad pain that is getting worse and does not go away.
  
  
• Your cast breaks or gets damaged.
  
  
• Your skin below the cast turns blue or white, or feels cold, numb, tingly, or has a burning feeling.
  
  
• You smell something bad, see stains, or have drainage coming from the cast.

Copyright © 2012. Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.