The following is a guide to the care of your cast
It is important to:
- Keep your cast dry at all times
- Keep the limb elevated high for at least the first 48hours:
- A sling or two pillows for the arm
- Elevate the leg on pillows higher than your heart until the swelling goes down
- Exercise all joints either side of the plaster eg fingers and toes, shoulder and knee
- Wriggle the fingers and toes on the hour every hour, 500 times a day
- Use crutches as instructed
- Mild pain killers as directed are fine. If strong pain killers are needed then the cast maybe too tight
Do Not:
- Don’t stand on, rest on or walk on the cast until advised to do so
- Don’t let the cast get wet
- Don’t put anything down under the cast, not even for an itch. If the skin is damaged then it may become infected or the skin can die
- Don’t cut or interfere with the cast
Report Immediately:
- Severe pain increasing in intensity or increased swelling of that part of the limb behind the plaster
- Pale, cold fingers or toes, pins and needles or numbness in fingers or toes, not relieved by elevation above the heart
- Blue discolouration of fingers or toes
- Localised burning pain or uncomfortable feeling of pressure within the cast or at the edge of the cast
- The cast needs to be split or removed immediately if any of the above occur
- If the cast is damaged, split or cut
- If there is a wound an offensive smell is present