What is orthopedic cast technology?

Principally, orthopedic technology involves the application and removal of casts, splints and braces. Be able to adjust crutches, walkers and other aids and provide instructions to patients in their use. Responsibilities can include but are not limited to: Apply, adjust and remove casts.

What is Orthopaedic cast technology?

An orthopedic cast, or simply cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster or fiberglass, that encases a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to stabilize and hold anatomical structures—most often a broken bone (or bones), in place until healing is confirmed. It is similar in function to a splint.

What is orthopedic cast made of?

Casts & Splints. Casts and splints are orthopedic devices that are used to protect and support fractured or injured bones and joints. They help to immobilize the injured limb to keep the bone in place until it fully heals. Casts are often made from fiberglass or plaster.

What are full body casts used for?

A cast holds a broken bone (fracture) in place and prevents the area around it from moving as it heals. Casts also help prevent or decrease muscle contractions and help keep the injured area immobile, especially after surgery, which can also help decrease pain.

What material is used for casts?

Most casts are made of fiberglass. Fiberglass is a kind of plastic that is moldable and dries hard. Some fiberglass casts are waterproof. Less often, casts are made of plaster of paris.

Day-in-the-Life: Orthopedic Technician - Kendric Creecy

What are the different types of casts?

How long does a cast stay on?

A cast can help keep the injured area from moving so you can heal faster without risk of repeated injury. How long you'll need to wear your cast depends on the type of injury you have and how serious it is. Normally casts are worn between 4 and 6 weeks.

Can you walk on a cast?

Even if the plaster cast makes your skin feel very itchy, do not poke anything underneath it. This could cause a nasty sore and lead to infection. Do not walk on a cast unless you have been told it is safe to do so and have been given a plaster shoe. The itchiness should settle down after a few days.

Can bones shift in a cast?

Even after reduction and immobilization with a cast or splint, your bones can shift.

What to avoid while wearing a cast?

Avoid placing powder, lotion or deodorant on or near the cast. Leave adjustments to your child's doctor. Don't pull the padding out of your child's cast. Don't trim the cast or break off rough edges without first asking your child's doctor.

Is a bone completely healed when a cast comes off?

During this “remodeling”, the body can straighten the fractured bone by laying new bone on the inside edge, and taking away bone on the outside of the angled area. In young children, bones can remodel fairly large angles, healing to appear completely normal within one to two years.

What is the difference between cast and splint?

What is the difference between a cast and a splint? A cast wraps all the way around an injury and can only be removed in the doctor's office. All casts are custom-made with fiberglass or plaster. A splint is like a “half cast.” The hard part of a splint does not wrap all the way around the injured area.

Is there an alternative to a plaster cast?

Fibreglass is a synthetic material that is a lighter alternative to plaster casts for treating fractures. It can be waterproof or non-waterproof, depending on the type of lining used underneath the fibreglass material. Like plaster of Paris, fibreglass material hardens when reacted with water.

Can a broken bone heal in 2 weeks?

How Long Does a Fracture Take to Heal? Most fractures heal in 6-8 weeks, but this varies tremendously from bone to bone and in each person based on many of the factors discussed above. Hand and wrist fractures often heal in 4-6 weeks whereas a tibia fracture may take 20 weeks or more.

Is it normal to have pain while in a cast?

Because bones, torn ligaments, tendons, and other tissues can take weeks or months to heal, you may be stuck with your cast for a while. Although the pain may ease after a few weeks, the discomfort - swelling, itchiness, or soreness - may last the entire time.

What to expect after a cast is removed?

After having a cast removed, it is normal to experience pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion in the area(s) that were immobilized. Symptoms can last up to twice the amount of immobilization time. For Example, if the patient was in a cast for 3-4 weeks, symptoms may last up to 6-8 weeks.

How do you sleep in a cast?

Try not to eat too much right before bed so that your stomach is already settled when you try to sleep. Lying on your back, elevate the cast on several pillows so that the broken bone is raised above your heart. Stabilize yourself with other pillows set up around you to prevent tossing and turning.

What are the 4 stages of bone healing?

When can cast be removed?

Casts or braces that are used for fracture treatment are usually used for these same time periods – a typical wrist or ankle fracture usually requires 6 weeks of immobilisation and a typical fracture of a finger or toe usually requires 4 weeks of immobilisation.

How long does it take for a leg to heal?

It takes around 6 to 8 weeks for a minor fracture to heal. You'll probably need to use crutches or a wheelchair during this time, until it's possible to put weight on the leg again.

What type of cast is used for a broken foot?

Doctors have two main types of casts: fiberglass and plaster. Fiberglass casts are lightweight, durable and porous enough to let air circulate to your foot or ankle. They're the number one choice if your doctor needs to X-ray your limb while it heals.

How do bones heal?

In order for a fracture to heal, the bones must be held in the correct position and protected. Soon after a fracture occurs, the body acts to protect the injured area, and forms a protective blood clot and callus around the fracture. New "threads" of bone cells start to grow on both sides of the fracture line.