Abstract
Purpose To investigate the sensation in the hand after forearm cast removal in children. Methods The study group included 33 consecutive children who were treated nonoperatively for a forearm fracture at our center over a 1-year period. The children were asked to report any sensation in the ipsilateral hand after cast removal, and the findings were analyzed against background and fracture-related data. Results The patients ranged in age from 6 to 14 years (median 10.00 years). Seventeen had been immobilized in an above-elbow cast and the remainder in a below-elbow cast. All children treated with an above-elbow cast complained that after cast removal, the hand on that side felt limp, and they had to hold it with the contralateral hand. By contrast, only one child treated with a below-elbow cast reported this sensation (p = 0.0001, Fisher exact test). Conclusions Orthopedic surgeons and rehabilitation unit staff should be aware of the possibility of a very short-term sensation of drooping and weakness of the hand after removal of an above-elbow cast in children and prepare the child and parents accordingly in order to lessen unnecessary anxiety.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 283-285 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Orthopaedic Science |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:✩ This work has been partially supported by UNAM-PAPIIT, Grant No. IN-112999 and by CONACyT Grant No. 35458-A. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Gómez).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine