Can You Sprinkle Baby Powder Down Your Cast

If you've broken a bone, you're going to demand to keep the affected joints immobilized for a catamenia of fourth dimension to ensure the tissues heal correctly. In many cases, in that location'southward no improve way to safely immobilize the area—and ensure every bit speedy a recovery as possible—than applying a bandage.

If your physician has put yous in a bandage, you lot don't have to resign yourself to weeks of itchy pare and unpleasant smells. Follow these tips from our orthopedic surgeons to go along your cast equally comfortable and unobtrusive equally possible while you heal.

Caring for your bandage 101: Keep information technology clean and dry out

No one loves wearing a bandage, just things will be much more enjoyable if yous keep it as clean as possible. Hither are a few steps to take:

• Cover the cast while you prepare food and eat. Nutrient splatters tin can leave stains, smells, and sticky residues before you know it. Crumbs can also make their way inside the cast, leading to bad odors or risking infection. Forbid this by wearing long sleeves or slipping a plastic liner over a wrist/arm cast. If your leg is casted, wear a long frock while cooking and keep information technology on while eating, or place a towel over your lap.
• Skip the beauty products for now. Lotions, deodorants, and body sprays tin can get on or within a cast and attract clay. Because you cannot get a cast wet, in that location's not a good way to thoroughly clean them off. It'south best to avert these products near a cast.
• Be diligent about hygiene after sweating. Sweat below your cast is probable, especially if you are participating in physical therapy or other form of exercise. Check with your doctor about using a wet absorbing pulverization, such as Gold Bond, around your bandage. Likewise, modify out of sweaty clothes ASAP and proceed a clean, dry towel on manus to wipe skin effectually the area, so sweat doesn't roll downwardly into the cast.

Unless you take a fiberglass bandage, which has a water-resistant liner, it's imperative to keep your cast dry as a bone (we couldn't resist!). This not only ensures that your cast continues to provide optimal support, but also helps to forbid pare irritation and bad smells. Showering, bathing, and household tasks present the biggest challenge; hither are some handy tools to keep your cast dry during these activities:

• "Press 'n Seal" cling wrap. Different regular plastic wrap or a nada-lock bag, the newer press and seal diversity has an agglutinative that helps forbid seepage. Using it can keep the cast dry against splashes or rain, but don't submerge a bandage using simply cling wrap.
• Premade bandage guards. Available in drugstores, cast guards are pre-fit garments that stretch over a cast and fit tightly around it. They are more than expensive than cling wrap, but are more foolproof and much less of a hassle.
• Veterinary gloves. These heavy-duty, arm-length plastic gloves are made to examine large animals internally; this makes them great as a water bulwark for a cast while showering or doing dishes. You can order them online.

How to finish itching in your cast (safely)

Itching is one of the most common complaints among cast-leap patients. Never stick an particular like a pencil or glaze hanger into your cast to scratch an itch—you could perforate the skin or function of the instrument could break off and get "lost" in the cast (we've found many pencil erasers in casts nosotros've removed). Instead, stick to these safer alternatives:

• Apply a hair dryer on the cool setting. Cool, dry air can soothe an itch without risking harm. Simply aim the hair dryer underneath the side closest to the crawling. Just utilize the cool setting—warm air tin harm the cast. A cycle pump tin can besides practise in a compression.
• Minimize moisture and sweating. Excess wet can worsen cast crawling, and then limit oestrus and follow the higher up tips for keeping your cast dry.
• Enquire your doctor about over-the-counter antihistamines. If itching is keeping you from sleeping well, y'all may consider taking Benadryl or other anti-crawling medication. These drugs tin brand you lot drowsy, so only apply them when necessary and if yous are not planning on driving, cooking, or using heavy equipment afterwards.

Keep the scent under control

Like any place that'due south wet-decumbent and lacks ventilation, casts are notorious for developing an unpleasant odor. Post-obit the above communication will become a long fashion toward keeping smelliness to a minimum. Boosted measures you tin can take:

• Rub a scented dryer sheet on the outside of the cast. Do not push it underneath the bandage.
• Sprinkle on baking soda or moisture-absorbing powder. These can safely absorb moisture and odors on the cast and around the openings.
• In extreme cases, request a new cast. It's far better to have proficient care of your original cast and prevent odor, but if the olfactory property is interfering with your work or school life, call your medico. An overpowering olfactory property may merit a replacement.

When to call your doc

Some itching, sweating and stinkiness is to be expected, fifty-fifty with the best of intendance. However, if an stiff or persistent unpleasant odor may be a sign of a skin infection, and then it's best to call your doctor, who can determine if the bandage should exist changed.

Additionally, swelling is normal with many sports injuries, so if your cast feels tight, try elevating the affected limb. If the tightness does not subside, or if you experience pain, tingling, numbness, or yous tin't move your fingers or toes, become in impact with your dr..

Finally, if the bandage lining is violent or sliding out of place, do not endeavour to cut or repair this yourself—your doctor will know how to all-time repair a bandage to ensure it's still providing optimal back up.

We're hither to answer your questions!

The higher up communication should significantly improve life with a cast. If you lot take more questions about bandage care, or any other orthopedic issue, come see our experienced team at Carolina Manus & Sports Medicine in Asheville. Our board certified doctors are experienced, friendly, and passionate nigh helping patients get by injuries and return to their agile lives. Call 828-253-7521 for more information or to make an date.

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Source: https://www.carolinahand.com/how-to-keep-cast-dry-stop-itching/

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