Instructions for Patients Wearing Casts, Splints, or Braces
- SPLINTS OR CASTS: Do not tamper with splints or casts. Keep them dry. Do not walk on a cast unless the doctor has advised you to do so. If the cast breaks, cracks, or becomes soft, please call without delay. Do not put anything inside a cast or splint.
- Swelling sometimes occurs after casts or splints have been applied, causing obstruction of circulation if not properly relieved. In order to avoid this danger:
- Elevate injured limb higher than the level of your heart.
- Keep the immobilized extremity quiet. Do not use it unless your doctor has instructed you to do so.
- Report by telephone any of the following conditions or go to the hospital Emergency Room:
- Extreme pain in injured part.
- Severe and increasing numbness of fingers or toes.
- Marked and persistent change in color of fingers or toes, especially if they become white, blue or purple.
- Fever exceeding 101 degrees.
- Any marked change for the worse in the general condition of the patient.
Please contact our nurses station with any concerns regarding your cast at (562) 633-3787 x241.