Plaster Cast Care

The plaster will take up to 48 hours to dry, so please treat it carefully until then.

Do’s

  • Do keep it dry at all times.
  • Do make sure you keep your cast elevated when you are sitting down.
  • Do exercise your joints which are not covered in plaster.

Don’ts

  • Don’t walk on your plaster unless you have been told you can.
  • Don’t dry your plaster in front of the fire or radiator – let it dry naturally.
  • Don’t wear nail polish on affected fingers or toes.
  • Don’t wear rings on your affected hand – your fingers can swell.
  • Don’t cut, alter or remove your cast.
  • Don’t put anything down your plaster.

If you plaster cracks or goes soft – come back to the Plaster Room for repairs between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

Come back to hospital immediately if

  • You have tingling, numbness, blueness (not bruising), of toes or fingers.
  • There is increasing pain or swelling.
  • Your wound or pin sites leak or bleed through the plaster.
  • You drop anything down your plaster.

REMEMBER, if you have problems with your plaster contact one of the following numbers

The Plaster Room

Monday – Friday
Out of Hours 111

If you have been supplied with crutches please return them to A&E when you have finished using them.