hey all,

I'm new here and looking for a little help.

I am a C 5/6 quad, 14 years post injury. Two weeks ago I broke my right tibia and left fibula in a skydiving accident. One is a small fracture, the other a little more serious but neither required surgery. I am casted from my toes to mid thigh.

Due to the casts, I am no longer able to un/dress on my own or get in and out of bed independently. I can handle that. what I can't handle is the associated sensations. While I am in my chair I am constantly uncomfortable unless I am lifting my bottom every 5 to 15 minutes. Prior to the injury, I was comfortable with only 2-4/hour. this sensation is especially bad upon getting out of bed, but generally lasts all day.

The problem is even more pronounced in bed. After a couple hours lying down, no matter how frequently I change positions, I sweat profusely (above my injury line) and experienced mild dysreflexia.

Over-the-counter and prescription painkillers have no affect.

Any input you could volunteer on managing the discomfort or the sweating would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

D

I believe casts are a big no no with sci because of the pressure problems, is there anyway you can have a splint that can be removed regularly for skin inspection instead and just to give your leg a break (no pun intended!)

Hi animadversor,

I completely agree with Trinity, casts are not good for SCI's, unless absolutely necessary. You say you do not have bad breaks, requiring no surgery, yet have casts...seems odd to me. I severely broke my left femur in 1995; a 9 inch spiral fracture. It required surgery, 5 pins, a bit of wire and a titanium rod to fix me.

For the next few month all I wore was an adjustable leg brace. Rather ugly, but made of material with bracing to keep the limb stable; near hip to ankle. It had velcro straps to allow for adjustment and washing; my brace and leg.

You might ask if this type of brace can be used for your injuries. You sweating, mild AD and discomfort might be caused by the cast being to tight, I had some mild skin irritation issues even with the brace, but no AD; as for discomfort...well you broke some bones.

I'll try to find a picture of my brace, I may still have mine, if I can find it I'll take a picture and post it...

Regards,

Jerry

I can totally sympathise, I have a broken left fibula at the moment, but like Trin said I am not in a cast because of the problems it might cause my skin I am in a splint so that my skin can be checked underneath it. My splint is a big ski boot type thing, but I am still getting some AD type symptoms.

Hope this helps

Jules
x

thanks guys, you've completely confirmed what my instinct was telling me. I've re-booked an appointment to get this sorted out.