What is a walking cast?
Injuring your leg or foot is a traumatic experience, especially if you have to go through the limited movement, itching, muscle wasting and other irritations involved with wearing a cast. A walking cast makes it easier to get around while your injury heals.
Purpose
A cast is meant to immobilise injured bones and tissue, helping them heal and preventing you from re-injuring them.
Speciality
If you have a leg or foot injury, a non-walking cast will require that you keep weight entirely off your affected leg by using crutches. A walking cast allows you to use the affected leg, although you may still need to use crutches at times.
Appearance
Walking casts are usually plastic soles strapped on over a regular moulded cast. Some are plastic soles that are applied directly to the bottom of the moulded cast.
- Injuring your leg or foot is a traumatic experience, especially if you have to go through the limited movement, itching, muscle wasting and other irritations involved with wearing a cast.
- If you have a leg or foot injury, a non-walking cast will require that you keep weight entirely off your affected leg by using crutches.
Care
Do not walk on a walking cast until the moulding material is completely dry. Fibreglass casts dry in approximately an hour; plaster casts take 2 to 3 days.
Problems
Call your doctor if you experience tingling, pain, swelling or numbness, or if you can't move your toes.
References
Writer Bio
J.D. Wollf has been a writer since 1999 and has been published in a variety of newspapers and newsletters. She has covered everything from local sports to computer accessory reviews and specializes in articles about health issues, particularly in the elderly.