Cast Care

Your healthcare provider has fitted you with a cast made of plaster or fiberglass. This cast will protect and hold your arm or leg in place to help it heal. It might feel a bit awkward at first. But you’ll soon get used to it. During the coming days and weeks, the way you treat your cast can play a big part in how fast and how well you heal.

Keep the cast dry

If a plaster cast gets wet, it can soften and fall apart. And if the padding of a fiberglass cast gets wet, it can irritate and damage your skin. So your cast must stay dry.

• Don't do activities that can get your cast wet. These include swimming, fishing, washing dishes, and even going out in the rain.

• Bathe as directed by your healthcare provider. When you bathe, keep your cast out of water and wrapped in plastic.

• Don’t soak your cast in water, even if it’s wrapped in plastic.

• If your cast does get wet, try drying it as soon as possible. To do this, use a hair dryer set to cool. Call your provider if your cast doesn’t dry in 24 hours.

  Cover the cast with plastic before bathing.

Handle with care

For the best results, remember the following:

Do

• Do keep the cast clean and dry. Cover it with plastic to protect it when around dirt or water.

• Do use any support you're given, such as crutches or a sling.

• Do raise (elevate) the cast above your heart whenever possible. This will help with swelling.

Don’t

• Don't slide anything inside the cast, even to scratch your skin.

• Don't put lotions or powders around the cast or inside it.

•  Don't hit the cast.

• Don't cut the cast or pull it apart.

• Don't wash the cast.

When to call your healthcare provider

Call your healthcare provider right away or get medical care if you have any of these:

• Swelling or cast tightness that doesn't get better when it's raised above heart level

• Swelling that causes pain or makes it so you cannot move your fingers or toes

• Your cast becomes loose or breaks

• Your cast gets wet and can't be dried

• You have more pain, numbness, or tingling in fingers or toes

• Your fingers or toes become blue or cold