Broken bones, torn ligaments, sprains, bruises and Co. : They all need to be fixed, stabilized or immobilized. Mostly this still happens today with a plaster cast. In the meantime, however, there are also plaster substitutes. However, these also bring advantages and disadvantages compared to the ordinary plaster.
What is a plaster substitute?
In part, plaster substitutes are lighter and more comfortable to wear. Often, plaster substitutes are also easier to apply and remove. Like an ordinary cast, a cast substitute always aims to fix or stabilize an injury or immobilize the affected body part. There are many types of injuries that can be treated with a plaster cast. Likewise, the possible body parts and areas of the body on which a plaster cast substitute can be used for various treatment purposes also place different demands on it. For this reason, not all plaster casts are the same: depending on the purpose of use and treatment, they can differ in their composition and application. The advantage of modern plaster substitutes is that they are now available in a wide range of types and designs. Thus, among other things, it brings the great advantage that it can often be adapted more flexibly to the injury at hand and to the body part to be treated than ordinary plaster.
Forms, types and types
Plaster substitute is a collective term that comes from the fact that all of the types of fixation and stabilization that fall within it can also perform the function of an ordinary plaster cast. However, in addition to this, plaster substitutes such as plastic plaster casts (also known as casts) or various splint systems also bring different advantages compared to an ordinary plaster cast. Some of these are lighter and more comfortable to wear, such as the plastic cast. Often, the plaster substitute is also easier to apply and remove. The latter is especially true of many modern splint systems, such as the Aircast splint. This can even be removed by the patient at home, for example for showering, and reattached later. The advantages of plaster replacements are usually obvious: they are lighter in weight, can usually be loaded earlier or even immediately, can be removed more quickly and easily, and are more comfortable to wear. In addition to disadvantages such as the higher costs that modern plaster substitutes often entail, however, they often lag behind the actual plaster in terms of their stabilizing and fixing function. For this reason, many injuries are still treated with a standard cast during the first few days, when proper stabilization of the injury is the priority. Only later is this replaced with a cast substitute for the sake of patient comfort.
Structure and mode of operation
Plaster replacements are generally divided into two different types across the board. First, there is the plastic plaster, which can be used to fix fractures and fractures of bones and joints, just like ordinary plaster. On the other hand, there are splint systems that can be used to immobilize and stabilize sprains, torn ligaments and similar injuries, among other things, as with a plaster splint. Depending on the type of plaster substitute, there are also differences in structure and function. Plastic plaster or a cast bandage is a plaster-like bandage that is much lighter than plaster and yet hardens strongly when moistened with water, thus ensuring a high degree of stabilization. Today, a cast bandage consists of glass fibers, synthetic resin or polyester. These harden very quickly after wetting and are also stronger and thus more resilient than ordinary plaster. A disadvantage is the higher cost and environmental impact that these represent due to their composition. A more familiar and commonly used name for a cast is walking plaster. Splint systems, such as the aforementioned Aircast splint, usually consist of plastic splints that stabilize the foot laterally, anteriorly, posteriorly, or overall, as needed. They are padded by air or foam and held together by Velcro or tension fasteners. Another modern type of splint is the so-called orthosis. These can be used to stabilize and fix entire body parts (such as legs) in such a way that the movement function is maintained or prevented.
Medical and health benefits
Plaster casts fundamentally perform the same task that a plaster cast has performed since the mid-19th century: Depending on the type of injury, it is intended to stabilize, fix or immobilize it and thus support healing. As a result, however, risks such as an increased risk of thrombosis or the risk of joint stiffness due to prolonged immobilization of the injured limb also occur during treatment, as is the case with ordinary casts. However, the various types of plaster replacements can reduce this risk, for example by being more resilient than plaster and thus enabling a semi-functional range of motion. Nevertheless, the affected body parts must not be subjected to loads beyond those recommended by a doctor. This can adversely affect healing and, in the worst case, even lead to late effects. However, the injured part should be loaded gently, if prescribed accordingly, also to prevent regression of muscle mass and poor blood flow to the nerve pathways and tissues.
