Use common sense. You have a serious injury and you must protect your cast from damage so it can protect your injury while it heals.

Keep the cast clean and dry. A hair dryer with a cool setting may be used to dry a fiberglass cast if it becomes damp. Call your doctor if the cast does not dry or if the skin under the cast becomes wet.

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One of his patients after the Battle of Borodino in 1812 was an infantry officer whose arm was amputated at the shoulder. The patient was evacuated immediately following the operation and passed from Russia, through Poland and Germany. When the dressing was removed on his arrival home in France, the wound had healed. Larrey concluded that the fact that the wound had been undisturbed had facilitated healing. After the war, Larrey began stiffening bandages using camphorated alcohol, lead acetate and egg whites beaten in water. Keep the injured arm or leg elevated for 1 to 3 days after the cast or splint is applied. The injured limb should be in a position higher than your heart to allow fluids to drain. Unlike other kinds of bandage, these bandages are non-elastic, and can be used to hold dressings in place without constricting or pressuring the wound. This does however make them unsuitable for PRICE therapy. Their loose weave allows good ventilation, helping the skin to breathe and avoiding infection.

exercise any joints that are not covered by the cast – such as your elbow, knee, fingers or toes – to help improve your circulationCast knives have sharp blades and preferably have large handles for better control. Sharp blades are essential; therefore, most practitioners prefer to use no. 22 disposable surgical blades. Exercise. Move your uninjured, but swollen fingers or toes gently and often. Moving them often will prevent stiffness.

Always remove any covering as soon as you can to avoid causing sweating, which could also damage the cast. These bandages are used for creating casts to provide rigid immobilisation of fractured or broken limbs. Impregnated with Plaster of Paris (calcined gypsum), once immersed in water, these bandages can be moulded to the limb. The bandages then set fast into a strong, solid cast. These bandages should only be applied by medical professionals. Call the doctor if you notice a strange or unpleasant smell coming from the cast. Perspiration or moisture under the cast can cause mold or mildew to grow. The skin can break down and become infected if it remains wet for a long time.Dip the plaster or fiberglass rolls in water by placing them on end, and this allows air to escape and results in complete soaking of the plaster. The bandages are sufficiently soaked when the bubbling stops. They can be left in the water up to 4 minutes without decreasing the strength of the cast, but the setting time decreases with the length of time they are immersed. Therefore, for maximum working time, remove bandages soon after the bubbling stops. Lightly crimping the ends of the plaster bandages helps prevent telescoping of the roll.

Elevate. It is very important to elevate your injured arm or leg for the first 24 to 72 hours. Prop your injured arm or leg up above your heart by putting it on pillows or some other support. You will have to recline if the splint or cast is on your leg. Elevation allows clear fluid and blood to drain "downhill" to your heart. Shoe covers and aprons or gowns keep shoes and clothes clean to prevent one from appearing sloppy in plaster-covered attire. E. Adherent materials. Adherent substances (such as Dow Corning medical adhesive B) are applied to prevent slipping and chafing between the skin and the padding. They can contribute, however, to an increased amount of itching inside the cast. Tincture of benzoin compound should not be used in this situation because of fairly frequent skin reactions. Commercial adhesive removers are available. To correct deformities, as in serial casting for clubfoot (see Chapter 6 for the Ponseti technique) or joint contractures Cast spreaders are used to open the cut edges of a cast for access to underlying cast padding, which is then cut with scissors. Spreaders come in various sizes for large and small casts.Advantages. These materials are strong and lightweight, and resist breakdown in water; they are also available in multiple colors and patterns. Your skin may be flaky, dry and itchy. A gentle wash or bath, followed by a moisturising cream, will help.