A number of injuries require the provision of casts, boots or braces to allow them to heal appropriately. These injuries include fractures, stress fractures, ligament sprains and following some orthopaedic surgery procedures. The type of injury typically dictates the appropriate form of treatment and this will be determined by your doctor or physiotherapist.
Casts
At Arrow Physiotherapy we apply casts, which are typically used to manage fractures. We do apply waterproof casts which are made of a synthetic casting material and a waterproof liner. We also apply plaster of Paris casts, which are not able to get wet. There are a number of factors which influence whether a waterproof cast can be applied and these include the type of fracture, degree of any swelling, skin integrity and whether there is a wound underneath the cast that needs to heal.
Boots
Our physiotherapists fit and supply boots, which are used to manage a number of foot and ankle injuries including some fractures, stress fractures, ligament sprains, Achilles ruptures and following some surgeries. Boots are sometimes referred to as CAM boots or moon boots. Not all boots are the same! There are long boots that go up just below the knee, short boots that only go up half way up the shin, boots which allow movement at the ankle joint and those that don’t, boots that have a hard shell the whole way around and those that don’t and boots that have inflatable pockets inside to help hold the foot and ankle supported and those that don’t. Your physiotherapist or doctor will inform you which type of boot is appropriate for your injury. All of our boots are supplied new to patients. We do not hire boots.
Splints
Our physiotherapists manufacture and supply thermoplastic splints for a number of injuries, particularly in the hand and wrist. These injuries include certain fractures, ligament sprains and tendon injuries. These splints are custom made in the clinic to specifically fit the individual and based on the requirements of the splint for the specific injury
Braces
We also stock a wide range of braces and supports for a variety of injuries. These braces and supports can be fitted by our physiotherapists. Whilst we carry a substantial amount of stock, certain injuries may require braces outside of our normal stock carried. Should you require a brace that we do not carry, we have a large number of suppliers from which we can source any brace that you may require – typically with relatively short turnaround times.
