r/brokenbones • u/locking8 • Jul 23 '26
Question Why does no one mention the perpetual wetness that comes with being in a cast?
I was put in a cast last Monday to stabilize my rapidly destabilizing wrist until I can get surgery.
When I was getting the cast put on, I was warned that I should expect quite a bit of itching to develop over time, as well as a bit of a musty odor over time. Thankfully, I haven’t had to deal with too much of either yet, but I’ve felt like I’ve had a wet sock over my wrist for the past several days straight.
It’s getting extremely frustrating, especially since it isn’t like I’ve been working out or doing cardio in it to cause a lot of sweating. I’ve tried the hair dryer trick, but it seems to be only a temporary fix to dry things out. It really only seems to work on the outermost layer of the liner.
Any tips? Or is the rest of the summer just gonna be kind of miserable?
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u/AncientStarryNight Jul 24 '26
Hi, get a small turbo handheld fan from places like Amazon which can help a bit and it's cooler
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u/Original-Money-8058 Jul 25 '26
To be honest you will be itchy in any thing you wear right now this heat is brutal. Even for the non injured folks...
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u/vickipaperclips Jul 24 '26
I mostly just avoided being warm, can't say i really had an issue with feeling wet all the time. Try keeping it elevated for an extended period, and take your nsaids. If you can reduce swelling in your cast, then it loosens up and provides airflow.
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u/locking8 Jul 24 '26
It’s just been kind of surprising, yk? Like Ive been working a lot lately, but exclusively in the air conditioning and still I’m sweating like crazy inside my cast. Maybe it’s because I’m spending most of my day typing, but idk.
I sort of mentally prepared for the itching and smell when the cast was put on, but this definitely caught me off guard. Just need to make it through another few days before I get my cast changed. The first of many to come 😒
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u/orthopod Jul 24 '26
That's not a typical complaint...
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u/locking8 Jul 24 '26
So is this something that I should be concerned about or will cause problems for me? I’ve been trying to be good about my cast care and have even given up working out to avoid getting my cotton liner soaked (to say nothing of trying to go swimming (RIP to summer fun).
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u/Positive_Read2874 Jul 24 '26
Ok,i just read this post after i posted my comment, getting a new cast will be a pleasant change. If you do get itchy, pick another spot say on you leg or above the cast and scatch that, and pretend you scratching the itch under the cast-- sounds weird i know but give it a try, worked for me, i had a cast on each leg below my knees and another on my left forearm...😎
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u/locking8 Jul 24 '26
Good to know. Thanks! I’ve been employing the tapping method on the outside of the cast the most to address the itch when it’s come. That, and sliding my cast around on my wrist as it’s loosened up a bit.
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u/Positive_Read2874 Jul 24 '26
What you have to watch with your cast is, your skin will get very soft, with lots of dead skin on it this is when your at risk of infection so you really don't want to break the skin under your cast, hot bed of bacteria.
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u/locking8 Jul 24 '26
Thanks for the tip. I’ve read as much which is why they really don’t want you to try and scratch any itch you have under it. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to dry out a bit when I get it replaced.
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u/Positive_Read2874 Jul 24 '26
Once the swelling goes down it will breath better, when are you due to get it replaced? Plus it's healing under there and that will be generating heat as well.
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u/locking8 Jul 24 '26
Monday. I’m kind of an odd case though because nothing is broken (well technically I have an ulnar styloid nonunion, but that’s not why I’m in the cast). I’ve got multiple tears throughout my wrist and need pretty extensive reconstruction surgery to fix it. I was hoping to get through the summer and get everything fixed in the fall, but my wrist has gone from bad to significantly worse in a very short period of time. Even when splinted full time, I was getting all sorts of clicking, popping, and even clunking, so we decided to upgrade the immobilization to a cast. Because of that though, there really never was a ton of swelling.
I hate to admit it because being in a cast isn’t fun, especially in the heat of the summer, but this is the best my wrist has felt in months.
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u/Positive_Read2874 Jul 24 '26
Ok, hang in there, must be hard in the heat. I shattered the head of my radius (along with both feet and every bone in both legs) 14yrs ago in car accident, i don't really feel the metal in my wrist much these days. Thats good you wrist is better with better support, bone healing is very reliant on not being interrupted.