There are many types of casts used in treatment of
fractures and other ailments. Here are major types of
casts.
Types of Casts in Upper Extremity
Long arm Cast
o Long arm cast encases the arm from
the hand to about lower two thirds of the arm
till a level below the arm pit, leaving the
fingers and thumbs free.
o Distal extent on the palmar aspect is just
till distal palmar crease and on dorsalaspect
is up to knuckles.
A Short Arm Cast, in contrast, ends just below
the elbow.
Both kinds of casts, depending on the injury
and prescription, the cast may include thumb or
fingers. In such cases it is called finger spica or thumb
spica cast.
Types of Casts in Lower Extremity
Short & Long Leg Casts
A cast encasing both the foot and the leg to
the hip being called a long leg cast, while a cast
encasing the patients foot, ankle and lower leg
ending below the knee is referred to as a short leg
cast.
Above Knee Plaster of Paris Cast or Long Leg
Cast
A walking heel may be applied for
ambulation to elevate the toes and avoid direct
contact with ground and contaminants.
The walking heel also creates a fluid rocking
motion during the stride and allows the cast to pivot
easily in any direction.
Cylinder Cast
This kind of cast is mostly used in knee
injuries and afflictions. It is similar to long leg cast but
in some cases, a cast may inct ends just above the
ankle distally.
(A similar cast that covers the upper and lower arm
and the elbow, but leave the wrist and hand free is
also called cylinder cast)
Body Casts
Body casts are those casts which also
include the trunk. These few are now used and that
too in children. Its very rare to use a body cast in
adult.
EDF cast
An EDF (elongation, derotation, flexion) cast
is used for the treatment of Infantile
Idiopathic scoliosis. This is a fairly new method of
treatment for correction in the United States although
it was developed by Dr. Min Mehta and used
overseas for some time. Scoliosis is a 3-dimensional
problem that should be corrected on all 3 planes. The
EDF casting method has the ability to elongate the
spine through traction, derotate the spine/pelvis, and
to improve lordosis and over all body
shape/alignment.
Spica Casts
Term spica is used when the cast spans the
trunk of the body and one or more limbs. This is also
used in cases where the cast spans limb and digits
[the trunk of the arm and one or more fingers or the
thumb].
Shoulder Spica
The trunk is covered from shoulder of the
involved side [other side is below the arm pit], to iliac
crest and the involved limb is covered till wrist
or hand. Again, this kind of cast is almost obsolete
now.
Hip Spica
A Hip Spica includes the trunk of the body
and one or more legs. It is extended till navel in the
trunk.
A hip spica which covers only one leg to the
ankle or foot may be referred to as a single hip spica,
while one which covers both legs is called a double
hip spica.
A one-and-a-half hip spica encases one leg
to the ankle or foot and the other to just above the
knee.
The extent to which the hip spica covers the
trunk depends greatly on the injury.
Hip spicas are used in case of femur fracture
in very young children and in cases of congenital hip
dislocations, and then mostly while the child is still an
infant.