Determining if a cast, brace or combination of both is needed for treatment will be determined by your child's provider based on:
- Your child's age, overall health and medical history
- Extent of the broken bone or injury
- Your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies
- Expectations for the course of the broken bone or injury
- Your opinion or preference
The goal of treatment is to control the pain, promote healing, prevent complications and restore normal use of the injured area.
Assistive devices may be helpful for children while in a cast or brace, which may include:
- Crutches
- Walkers
- Wagons
- Wheelchairs
- Reclining wheelchairs
Casts need to be taken care of to make sure skin damage, infections or other complications don’t happen. Cast care instructions include:
- Keep the cast clean and dry
- Check for cracks or breaks in the cast
- Rough edges can be padded to protect the skin from scratches
- Do not scratch the skin under the cast by inserting objects inside the cast
- Can use a hairdryer placed on a cool setting to blow air under the cast and cool down the hot, itchy skin — never blow warm or hot air into the cast
- Do not put powders or lotion inside the cast
- Cover the cast while your child is eating to prevent food spills and crumbs from entering the cast
- Prevent small toys or objects from being put inside the cast
- Elevate the cast above the level of the heart to decrease swelling
- Encourage your child to move their fingers or toes to promote circulation
- Do not use the abduction bar on the cast to lift or carry the child
Older children or those with body casts may need to use a bedpan or urinal in order to go to the bathroom. Tips to keep body casts clean and dry and prevent skin irritation around the genital area include:
- Use a diaper or sanitary napkin around the genital area to prevent leakage or splashing of urine
- Place toilet paper inside the bedpan to prevent urine from splashing onto the cast or bed
- Keep the genital area as clean and dry as possible to prevent skin irritation
When your child is in a cast or brace, you should make sure to contact your child's physician or health care provider if your child develops one or more of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit
- Increased pain
- Increased swelling above or below the cast
- Complaints of numbness or tingling
- Drainage or foul odor from the cast
- Cool or cold fingers or toes
What's it like to get a cast put on? Watch our orthopedics team put a cast on a patient.
What's it like to get a cast removed? Watch how quick and easy it is for our orthopedics team to remove a cast.
