Hi-Tech Cast For The 21st Century?

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I'm not a doctor but this looks like it could actually work. The concept is solid, it's waterproof, allows you to get air to your skin, scratch an itch, etc. etc. but it's just such a simple idea, you wonder why no one thought of it before.

Made of silicone and plastic, our patent-pending technology meets the needs of today’s lifestyles. Our cast’s strong, netted structure lets allows light and airflow. Patients can wash the skin around the affected area. They can shower, exercise and even swim. Because less sweat and bacteria are getting lodged close to the skin, the chance of infection and soft tissue damage is reduced significantly. Water is no longer the enemy of the cast but a welcome ally in health and healing.
 
I just don't see this working in that shape/form. Too much room for movement. We are talking about broken bones here.
 
Nukester said:
I just don't see this working in that shape/form. Too much room for movement. We are talking about broken bones here.
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Room to move doesn't seem any greater than that of a plaster cast to me, those shift around all the time. All that's really required is a bracing point at both ends an a lack of movement at the point of the break.
 
Our cast’s strong, netted structure lets allows light and airflow.
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They can't even proofread, how do we expect them to make anything of actual use?

And to be nice, I just emailed them about the typo.
 
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Kor said:
Room to move doesn't seem any greater than that of a plaster cast to me, those shift around all the time. All that's really required is a bracing point at both ends an a lack of movement at the point of the break.
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that an if i was a kid i'd find a way to break the cast off so i could go play sports.. just like i rebroke my ankle 4 times because screw sitting around during lunch just because i have a cast on my leg, i'd rather play basketball. obviously i regret it now but not then and nor would any other normal kid.

either way the idea's cool and probably would work with adults but definitely not for kids. also i prefer the mesh style in the article that Graham posted over the one in this article.
 
Nukester said:
I just don't see this working in that shape/form. Too much room for movement. We are talking about broken bones here.
Click to expand...

Not really that big a deal. In fact, IIRC, slight flexing of the break is actually a GOOD thing. In fact, some breaks are not even able to be put into a cast, and the bones heal just fine. I have broken my collar bones 4 times in my life, and you can't cast that. And trust me, those bones move around, even with a sling (you can tell, because you can feel the ends grinding if you move wrong). And i have broken metatarsals, and they don't typically cast those either.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
that an if i was a kid i'd find a way to break the cast off so i could go play sports.. just like i rebroke my ankle 4 times because screw sitting around during lunch just because i have a cast on my leg, i'd rather play basketball. obviously i regret it now but not then and nor would any other normal kid.
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That's not normal.
 
Steve said:
I'm not a doctor but this looks like it could actually work. The concept is solid, it's waterproof, allows you to get air to your skin, scratch an itch, etc. etc. but it's just such a simple idea, you wonder why no one thought of it before.

Made of silicone and plastic, our patent-pending technology meets the needs of today’s lifestyles. Our cast’s strong, netted structure lets allows light and airflow. Patients can wash the skin around the affected area. They can shower, exercise and even swim. Because less sweat and bacteria are getting lodged close to the skin, the chance of infection and soft tissue damage is reduced significantly. Water is no longer the enemy of the cast but a welcome ally in health and healing.
Click to expand...


Yeah, but it looks so... Millennial :)
 
Nukester said:
I just don't see this working in that shape/form. Too much room for movement. We are talking about broken bones here.
Click to expand...

how is that? This should keep you immobilized just as much. Dr puts the empty sleave over the section. Fills ot with the liquid then as it is start to harden would be able to make small adjustments to make sure it is snug around that part.
 
evilsofa said:
That's not normal.
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normal? No. But also probably not uncommon. When I got my cast back in the 90s on my wrist I was told not to move my arm any for awhile as the cast would take a little bit to fully harden. So first thing I did was move my wrist as much as possible to give myself as much room for movement as possible once it hardened. Then after a few days took a circular saw and set the blade depth to very shallow and cut a few layers off the fiber glass cast as it was starting to annoy me with its weight. So I did things that could of resulted in it taking longer to heal or not heal correctly. Also know people that continued to play sports with friends with cast on because they don't just want to sit around. Might not be to the degree of the OP, but still know people who couldn't fight the stir craziness
 
I've had 3 leg casts from nuts to ankle. This would have been nice. Good ol late '80s fiberglass FTW.
 
spugnor said:
Not really that big a deal. In fact, IIRC, slight flexing of the break is actually a GOOD thing. In fact, some breaks are not even able to be put into a cast, and the bones heal just fine. I have broken my collar bones 4 times in my life, and you can't cast that. And trust me, those bones move around, even with a sling (you can tell, because you can feel the ends grinding if you move wrong). And i have broken metatarsals, and they don't typically cast those either.
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Holy crap I though I was a bit weird @ collar bones broken 3 times.
So nice when they re-position those.. I was cringing for years from just remembering.
 
Mohonri said:
Done before, and better, yeah., This came to mind as soon as I saw the headline. They're gonna have an awful hard time defending that patent, even if it is granted.
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Their method does look a tad different so they might be ok with their patent if it is granted.

Looking at both of those I still don't see how you would put the thing on to start with. At least with this one Steve posted about I do see how you would slip a net over the body part, then fill it with the hardening goo and be able to manually shape it like is done with a current cast around the wrist or other bends of the body depending on what area you are putting it as it is just a empty mesh to start with so would be able to bend around your foot or around your hand.
 
Exavior said:
Their method does look a tad different so they might be ok with their patent if it is granted.

Looking at both of those I still don't see how you would put the thing on to start with. At least with this one Steve posted about I do see how you would slip a net over the body part, then fill it with the hardening goo and be able to manually shape it like is done with a current cast around the wrist or other bends of the body depending on what area you are putting it as it is just a empty mesh to start with so would be able to bend around your foot or around your hand.
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I think the idea is to print it in two halves, like a clamshell.
 
Mohonri said:
I think the idea is to print it in two halves, like a clamshell.
Click to expand...

Now that I look at the article you posted again I can see that on the very edge of that cast where it is created that way. However the other one is a single piece.
 
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