# Not casting broken limbs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2000, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429 "2000-09-25T05:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/1 "2000-09-25T05:28:11Z")
My mom broke her leg on Friday afternoon, and in her usual mom style, was very vague (because she’s forgetful) in what the doctor told her, saying that “it was one of the small bones near her knee” that she broke. Thing is, they decided to wait until Monday to put a cast on her leg. She’s been held up with this plastic & velcro brace on her shin (so I’m thinking she broke her tibia–maybe?), but she still seems able to shuffle herself where she needs to go when necessary, like the bathroom or to bed. So what is the deal with not casting a broken limb for three days? Is this an HMO thing gone terribly wrong, or is there a legitimate medical reason as why this would be a good idea? She said something about they were waiting for the swelling to go down, which makes sense, but still, three days? ---
**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/2 "2000-09-25T06:00:20Z")
I broke my elbow once falling/flying off a bicycle. The bone was broken but not displaced. I wore a sling for a while but never got a cast. They said if I got a cast I would have trouble regaining full motion of the joint when the cast came off. If, as you say, it was one of the small bones near her knee, they are probably being really careful and making sure all the swelling is gone before they carefully apply the cast so that her knee joint is not affected and full recovery is quicker. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/3 "2000-09-25T06:12:25Z")
_Ashley breaks open his medical charts_ The smaller bone in the lower leg is actually the Fibula, not the Tibia. Although the Tibia is actually the most common bone fracture in the USA. I looked up some info on [http://www.emedicine.com](http://www.emedicine.com) --immobilzation with a full cast, they say, is usually not required. But it -is- standard practice to wait a few days before setting a splint in order to let the swelling subside. This applies to both Tibia and Fibula fractures–although it doesn’t apply to extreme injuries, obviously. I hope this was useful. I hope she’ll have a speedy recovery. -Ashley ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/4 "2000-09-25T21:35:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ashtar \* > \*\* > > The smaller bone in the lower leg is actually the Fibula, not the Tibia. Although the Tibia is actually the most common bone fracture in the USA. > -Ashley \*\* I thought the clavicle was the most commonly broken bone. ---
**Author:** ![Ranma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Ranma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranma)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/5 "2000-09-25T21:48:51Z")
Doctors cannot cast limbs if the swelling isn’t gone(it swells because of internal bleeding). and usually it keeps swelling for 24 to 48 hours after the accident. If casting is done before that, the area might start swelling again under the casting, which would be VERY painful, and dangerous(because the swelling might cut the blood flow and hinder the healing process, or worse, make other blood vessels rupture). P.S. I ought to know, I broke my knee in a bicycle accident friday afternoon… ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/6 "2000-09-25T22:31:13Z")
Ranma: Owch! Well doesn’t that just suck an 80 year old man’s ass? Hope that knee gets better soon. Were you wearing knee-pads? Bibliophage: Yer right–sorry, Well, actually–I’m not sure if you’re right–but I’m definatley wrong. The Tibia is the most common -long- bone fracture. The clavicles are much shorter. Although I’m not sure how the classification between ‘long’ and ‘short’ is measured. I yield to your superior knowledge! -Ashley ---
**Author:** ![Ranma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Ranma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranma)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/7 "2000-09-25T22:59:53Z")
Thanks for the concern Ashtar, no, I wasn’t wearing knee-pads and my guess is(from the way I fell) it wouldn’t have helped. In fact, the first thing that hit the boardwalk is my head(face, to be precise), and miraculously, I suffered no injury whatsoever to that zone, not even a scratch. I guess I’m very lucky to get out of it with a minor fracture in the knee(and a bruised shoulder)… ---
**Author:** ![Toolie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Toolie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toolie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/8 "2000-09-26T01:25:20Z")
I recently broke _BOTH_ my radius and ulna in my left arm when i fell of my bike. My mother refused to take me to the hospital for 8 days, claiming that it would ‘cost too much money.’ Needless to say once i was taken to the ER, they x-rayed it and figured i broke it in both bones. shows what my parents know. i had to wear a cast for 6 weeks, just got it off last week. its just disturbing to hear that ur parents care more about finance then human welfare! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/9 "2000-09-26T02:55:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Toolie \* > \*\*I recently broke _BOTH_ my radius and ulna in my left arm when i fell of my bike. My mother refused to take me to the hospital for 8 days, claiming that it would ‘cost too much money.’ Needless to say once i was taken to the ER, they x-rayed it and figured i broke it in both bones. shows what my parents know. i had to wear a cast for 6 weeks, just got it off last week. its just disturbing to hear that ur parents care more about finance then human welfare! 🙂 \*\* ☹ Sorry to hear that Toolie. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your mom sounds warped. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/10 "2000-09-26T03:01:34Z")
When I broke my left ulna, it wasn’t across the narrow cross-section. My humerous (sp?) wedged into the end of the ulna when I fell from playground equipment and split it from the end. (I had my left arm jammed straight when my hand hit the ground.) At the doctor’s, he had to pull my lower arm slightly while bending it up. He then put it in a half-cast just to keep it in place, and Ace bandaged it on. I couldn’t have my friends sign my cast till after it was off, which was kinda besides the point. What really sucked was that I couldn’t get into baseball league that summer. I ended becoming a computer geek instead of a baseball jock. All because of one fall off of the monkey bars. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tadpole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@tadpole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadpole)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2000, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-casting-broken-limbs/34429/11 "2000-09-26T06:20:35Z")
In the lower leg there’s more than just the tibia and fibula - in the knee joint at the end of the femur there are 2 large sesamoid bones called fabellae. The OP said the mother broke one of the small bones near the knee - it might have been one of these. Sesamoid bones are small round blob-like bones that are usually there to strengthen attatchments of tendons.