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Casts and Splints
Casts and Splints
Many orthopaedic injuries that occur will be initially treated with some form of temporary immobilization as this will be the most comfortable for the patient and will maintain stability for the injured area. Most often, splints and casts are used for the treatment of fractures (broken bones).
A splint is a typically temporary device that is used to treat an acute fracture. They can be preformed materials such as rigid plastic or metal that is covered in various cloth materials (removable velcro splints are a common example), or made out of fiberglass or plaster. These are designed differently than actual casts so that they can allow for the swelling to occur (and this nearly always occurs immediately after the injury) without risk of complications. If an acute injury is treated with a rigid complete cast, there exists a risk of injury to the skin, nerves and blood vessels under the cast from too much compression as the tissue expands from the swelling. For this reason, a splint is typically used as it functions as "a half cast" where areas are left free to allow for swelling to occur safely. As the swelling process resolves, then this can be changed to a cast to allow more rigid support.
A cast is typically a fiberglass construct that can be molded specifically to the needs of the fracture and can be worn for several weeks as needed. This is more rigid than the temporary splint, but both may feel fairly heavy. Depending on the specific type of fracture, the splint or cast may be worn for anywhere from a few days to a couple of months. The purpose of the cast is to keep the bones in rigid alignment to allow the body to heal them over several weeks to months. Casts can realistically only be used if the bones are in the correct alignment for healing without complications, otherwise, other means such as surgery may be needed to achieve the correct and stable alignment (see the section on fracture fixation).
Casts and Splints
Casts and splints are used to treat broken bones and sprains, restricting movement so that tissues can health with reduced physically strain.
casts and splints
fracture fixation
treatment of fractures
broken bone treatment