A broken or dislocated arm is a big nuisance. Not only will severe pain be felt not only at the moment of injury, but also during the entire time before the plaster is applied and for some time after, but the mobility of the limb will be lost for quite a long time.
What is plaster made of?
Gypsum itself is a natural natural mineral. Since it cannot be used in its pure form, it is made into a fine powder, which is then calcined to dry completely, since the remaining moisture can help to harden back.
How is a plaster cast applied?
Pre-made plaster bandages, manufactured in an industrial way, are most often applied to the injured limb. But sometimes you have to do them just before use by rubbing gypsum powder into traditional medical gauze bandages. This is a very time-consuming process, so they try to avoid it whenever possible.
Gypsum bandages are used to apply a plaster bandage. First, such a bandage is placed in a container of warm water.so that it is completely covered with water. When air bubbles disappear on the surface, this means that the bandage can be removed. At the same time, you need to hold it horizontally and at both ends, otherwise the gypsum will drain into the water.
The finished bandage is applied to the desired areas and fixed. Soon the solution hardens to a stone state and reliably immobilizes the injured limb. Overlay can be done both unlined and lined.
In the first case, only the places where the bones protrude are protected with cotton swabs, in the second case, a cotton pad between the elastic (bottom) and regular (top) bandage covers the entire plastered area. This is the preferred option as it is easier to maintain dry skin and avoid pressure sores.
In addition, splints are often used - dressings from several layers of wet plaster bandage. Longuets can be fixed with a regular bandage, rolling it out in a circular motion. At the same time, it is necessary to constantly monitor how the plaster is applied so that the bandages completely follow the contours of the limb, and also so that wrinkles do not form. Otherwise, you will have to change the bandage to a new one very quickly due to irritation and severe pain.
How long does the cast last?
The question arises, how much is a cast worn for a broken arm? The duration of wearing a cast depends on the severity of the injury, but the average healing time is from 3 to 10 weeks. The fingers of the hands will most quickly part with the gypsum, the longest time will have to be worn on the forearm. ATin case of severe fractures of the fragment type, the doctor may leave a cast for up to 3-4 months.
The removal of the cast may also be delayed if the patient has problems with the restoration of damaged tissues and bones. Most often this is due to the fact that the hands are the most difficult to keep completely still (for example, if a cast is applied to the finger), while this is what all fractures require. Perhaps the body lacks the necessary substances for speedy healing, then additional medications, vitamins and minerals are prescribed to promote this.
Even in spite of the plaster cast, it is impossible to move a limb, but often it turns out involuntarily, because it is impossible to control reflex movements for a long time. After the plaster is removed, the patient will have a long period of rehabilitation, on average, taking about six months. How to remove a cast, as well as other information related to this issue, is contained below.
Complications while wearing a cast
For the speedy healing of damaged limbs, plaster bandages are used. After a cast, there are often unpleasant moments that need to be carefully monitored and not triggered in order to prevent the development of more serious problems.
1. Puffiness. By itself, swelling in fractures is a common thing, and, of course, it will not go away right away, especially when you consider that the gypsum still squeezes the limb, fixing it. If the bandage is applied correctly, then within a few days, a maximum of two weeks, the swelling will subside, and soreness willdecrease.
You need to see a doctor immediately if:
- damaged arm in a cast becomes cold;
- fingers become bluish, pale or red;
- arm in a cast hurts, while the pain becomes acute or intensifies;
- numbness of the limb appears, its sensitivity decreases;
Such symptoms are characteristic of compressed vessels and nerves, which occurs due to severe swelling of the tissues. Violation of blood circulation leads to serious consequences up to necrosis and amputation. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the plaster as a matter of urgency. You can call an ambulance or visit the emergency room. An alarming signal is also a symptom if the arm goes numb under the cast.
Anti-puffiness products
To make the edema subside faster, both medicines and traditional medicine are used:
- heparin ointment and Troxevasin gel;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, most often based on ibuprofen. If a hand swells in a cast, medicines such as Nimesil, Nise, Mig, Ibuklin and ibuprofen itself give a good effect. Even pregnant and lactating women can use these products, of course, observing the necessary precautions;
- compresses based on wormwood, calendula, juniper, golden mustache, cornflower;
- baths with pine extract, iodized regular or sea s alt;
- infusions of aloe, calendula, chamomile and other herbs that help reduce inflammation. Are taken inside. The main thing is nottake at the same time as medications;
- blue clay has proven itself as an effective decongestant;
- infusions of aloe, calendula, chamomile and other herbs that help reduce inflammation. Are taken inside. The main thing is not to take it simultaneously with medications.
Massage, therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy also help to reduce swelling as soon as possible. These can be electrophoresis with anesthetic solutions, electric current stimulation, ultraviolet light, various applications, including mud applications.
As swelling decreases, casts are usually changed to prevent excessive limb movement.
2. Bedsores. These are also places with impaired circulation, most often occurring where the cast is too tight to the skin without a pad, on the protrusions of the bones. A bedsore can be provoked by plaster crumbs, folds or lumps of bandage and cotton wool used as a lining. After some time, the wound begins to fester, flowing onto the plaster with brown spots, from which an unpleasant odor emanates. In this case, the site of suppuration is washed with an antiseptic, such as chlorhexidine, treated with wound healing ointments, such as levomekol, Vishnevsky ointment, and bandaged with a sterile bandage. Processing is done regularly until complete healing.
3. Scuffs, blisters, dermatitis and eczema are also possible when the hand is in a cast for a long time. Appear either as a result of allergic reactions, or due to displacement and friction of the bandage alongskin. The treatment is similar to that used to get rid of bedsores, only anti-allergic drugs are additionally used, both locally and orally. They should be prescribed by a doctor based on the picture of the complication. The range of such drugs is huge, so you should not self-medicate. At best, it simply won't help.
4. Very often, under a plaster cast, severe itching occurs. What to do if the arm itches under the cast? Many people in such cases try to put a knitting needle, pencil, wire, and the like under the bandage. Doctors warn that this should be done only in very extreme cases, when it is no longer possible to endure.
Firstly, you can damage the skin, which already gets. Secondly, the lining, placed under the cast, from such actions goes astray, lumps and folds appear on it, which lead to the problems described above.
Itching appears from the fact that the skin under the plaster sweats, cells die, peeling occurs. Based on this, it is recommended, if possible, to maintain physical peace, avoid exposure to the sun and hot rooms.
You can try putting talcum powder or baby powder under the bandage. Once the moisture is gone, the itching will get better. However, then it will be problematic to remove the powder, you will have to wait for the next change of gypsum. A blow of cool air from a hair dryer works well, cooling and drying itchy areas at the same time.
Antihistamines, which are used for insect bites, help well. It is advisable to drink them at night, since many have a pronouncedhypnotic effect, and at night, as you know, all unpleasant sensations intensify, that is, it becomes even more difficult to bear them.
Disadvantages of conventional plaster
Gypsum with a fracture of the arm contributes to the speedy fusion of the limb.
The most common natural plaster fixes well and is easy to apply, but has its drawbacks:
- he is bulky and uncomfortable;
- strongly restricts mobility and mobility;
- quickly gets dirty, as a result of which the arm in a cast looks very unaesthetic;
- it must be protected from moisture, because of this it is very inconvenient to wash, especially with a plastered hand;
- it is quite difficult to choose clothes, because the limb becomes much thicker due to the applied bandage;
- In order to take an X-ray to control healing, you will have to remove the bandage and then apply a new one, since the rays do not pass through it.
Types of gypsum
It is now being replaced by new varieties of materials:
- Scotchcast is a polymeric immobilizing bandage with a high degree of rigidity. It is very light, but at the same time it perfectly fixes the fracture, allows air to pass through, which means it allows the skin to breathe. In addition, this material is waterproof and dries quickly. However, it is still undesirable to wet it, since a cotton-gauze pad is usually placed under it, which does not dry well and can become a source of irritation and an unpleasant odor.
- Cellacast (softcast) - fiberglass bandage,impregnated with fast curing polyurethane resin. It has the same pros and cons as scotchcast, in addition, it allows you to take an x-ray without removing the bandage and without disturbing the site of the injury once again. It belongs to semi-rigid immobilizers, which avoids partial muscle atrophy. But such a plaster is not applied to complex fractures precisely because of its partial mobility.
- HM-cast looks like a large-mesh stocking, when dried, it adheres perfectly to the skin and repeats the shape of the limb. Easy to apply and wear, often used to fix hands. A special lining is also used under it, but since the cells of such a latch are large, and the lining is made of synthetic quick-drying materials, it becomes easier to take a shower.
- Turbocast is a thermoplastic orthosis. The most optimal type of device for the treatment of injured limbs.
Pros and cons of turbocasting
If there is a choice, then doctors advise applying plastic plaster. It appeared quite recently, but it turned out to be so convenient and easy to use that it quickly began to be used all over the world. How plastic gypsum is applied to the hand, the price, as well as its properties are detailed below.
- Turbocast is a solid material that will not break off small pieces, irritating the skin under the bandage. It does not require a gasket under it, so the appearance of chafing is excluded.
- This cast is very light, which is important for maintaining an active lifestyle, especiallychildren.
- Because the plastic is water-resistant and unlined, washing is no longer the problem it always is with regular casts. In addition, the turbocast itself retains a neat and presentable appearance for a very long time.
- Breathability is a very important factor. The more air, the faster the fusion process goes, the skin under the bandage does not get wet, diaper rash and irritation do not appear.
- To apply such a plaster, it is enough to heat it up to only 400C, and it will become plastic, adjusting to the patient's parameters. After reheating, it returns to its original shape, so the turbocast is a reusable tool.
- Rehabilitation after removal is much faster, and the risk of complications and allergies is minimized.
However, there are also small disadvantages:
- How much does it cost to put a plastic cast on the hand? The price for it starts at about 500 rubles, and this is only the material itself, moreover, one piece may not be enough. For the overlay procedure, you will have to pay an average of 7-9 thousand rubles.
- Since the procedure is still quite new, it has not yet been mastered in all clinics, even paid ones, so it may not be possible to find a specialist right away.
- Removing or cutting such material at home will not work, because it lends itself only to a special file that the medical staff uses to cut plastic plaster.
Rehab
When and how to remove the cast, and whatrecommendations must be followed after that, read below. After removing the plaster, it will take some time to recover. Many during this period experience numbness of the hand, which was plastered. Most often, this is a temporary phenomenon that will pass within a week if you do exercise therapy, apply manual therapy and develop the limb.
It is necessary to eat right, paying special attention to the sufficient intake of B vitamins, in particular B12, another name is cyanocobalamin, or cobalamin. It promotes rapid regeneration of tissues, nerve fibers and organs, keeping them in good condition.
Vitamins in foods
The following foods are rich in this vitamin:
- beef, chicken and pork liver;
- beef kidney;
- seafood;
- fatty sea and ocean fish;
- mutton;
- eggs;
- turkey breast;
- dairy, sour-milk products and cheeses. They also contain calcium, necessary for strong bone tissue;
- soy;
- spinach;
- green onions;
- seaweed;
- wheat seedlings.
Note that B12 content in plant foods is very low, so you can take supplements such as brewer's yeast.
If the numbness persists, you should consult your doctor for nerve or vascular damage. Timely prescribed treatment, as a rule, gives good results, but discomfort may remain.forever, especially pronounced during stress, illness and sudden changes in weather.
