BACKGROUND
Acute long-bone fractures are painful until stabilised. The most common method of splintage requires an initial layer of wool to be wrapped around the limb before a plaster-of-Paris slab is applied; finally, the limb is wrapped in a layer of crepe bandage. To apply the initial layer of wool, the unsplinted limb needs to be supported which can be painful and distressing for the patient, especially for children.
TECHNIQUE
A method to avoid the initial step of supporting an unsplinted limb is to place the length of plaster-of-Paris inside a double layer of Tubigrip® or equivalent, wet, and apply this directly to the skin of the affected limb. This backslab can then be left to dry before elevating the splinted limb for the final wrapping of crepe bandage.
DISCUSSION
Whilst this method can be used in all long-bone fractures, it has proved especially useful in paediatric upper limb fractures where the child can rest the arm comfortably across their lap throughout the splinting process (Fig. 1).
Figure 1.
A young boy with a forearm fracture waiting for the slab to dry before the splinted limb is elevated for bandaging.