Cast Wedging to Improve the Position of Fractures in Children: Too Painful and Outdated or Still a Viable Option?

Abstract

Tibial, forearm, and distal radius fractures are some of the most common types of fractures in children. If secondary loss of reduction results in angulation beyond the natural remodeling potential of the child's bone, conservative treatment options, including cast wedging, instead of closed/open reduction, are possible. The plaster wedge is an effective and child-friendly therapy for displaced bone fragments in forearm and lower leg fractures in the first 10 days after the fracture event. The wedge procedure enables a gentle, closed reduction, which avoids the risk of sedation or surgical intervention and at the same time minimizes treatment costs. Complications are rare and can be easily corrected.