About your visit

You have been given a cast to help stabilise and support while the fracture heals.

You will be told when and where the cast will be removed.

When you get home

Contact your general practitioner if your condition deteriorates

Call your general practitioner or dial 1813 to reach the medical helpline outside your general practitioner’s opening hours if:

• your toes or fingers become pale, cold and numb
• your toes or fingers begin to feel numb and tingly
• the cast feels too tight or begins to chafe
• the cast cracks
• the cast means that you cannot do your exercises
• the cast gets wet or becomes loose
• pain increases.

Take pain-relieving medicine if you are in pain

You should take pain-relieving medicine if you are in pain. Pain-relieving medicine can be bought over the counter. Take only the amount of pain reliever recommended on the package. Contact your general practitioner if you need help managing the pain.  

Take Vitamin C

We recommend taking 500 mg of vitamin C every day for 50 days. Vitamin C helps the fracture heal faster and is available over the counter at pharmacies or supermarkets.

Take Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements

If you are over 40, we recommend taking a daily supplement of calcium and vitamin D to strengthen your bones. The pharmacy can advise you on the appropriate dosage.

Protect the cast

The cast will harden quickly but will not be completely dry for 24 hours. Therefore, try not to bump into anything to avoid dents in the cast. Some types of plaster harden in less time. We will talk to you about that.

We recommend that you cover the cast with a plastic bag when bathing/showering. Make sure the top of the bag is well sealed so the cast does not get wet.

The cast can cause irritation

It is normal to experience the following:

• Sweating and itching under the cast. 
• Blood accumulation or bruises that spread to the toes or fingers. These symptoms will disappear without treatment.

If the cast has sharp edges that causes irritation, call the Emergency Ward. See the phone number under contact information.

Avoid inserting objects to relieve itching

Do not insert objects, such as a knitting needle, into the cast to relieve itching. You risk damaging the skin and causing sores.

Keep your foot or arm elevated

Elevate your foot to a level higher than your heart when sitting down. Make sure you sleep with your leg elevated.
To keep your hand from swelling, keep it above your heart. Rest your arm on a pillow, for example, when you are sitting down.

Wiggle your toes or fingers

Wiggle your toes to reduce swelling, or move your arm and fingers as much as possible every day, even while wearing a cast.

Use a shoe with the same sole thickness as the cast

Wear a snug-fitting shoe on your healthy foot. This will help you move around more safely. Wear a shoe with the same sole thickness as the cast so both your legs have the same length.

Check-ups

You may be called in for a check-up to make sure the fracture is healing correctly. At the check-up, we may take an X-ray and discuss what to do next. We will call you about the time and place or notify you digitally or by physical letter. On www.minsundhedsplatform.dk (in Danish only) you can see a summary of your treatment programme. You can also download the MinSP app to your phone. Log on with your MitID.

Worth knowing

Tell us about your experience

We would very much like to hear from you with both praise and criticism about your stay at the hospital. You can find contact information on our website www.nordsjaellandshospital.dk/akut. If you are considering complaining about your treatment, you can contact the hospital's patient advisors, who are impartial advisers. You can read more about the possibilities to complain at www.regionh.dk/patientrights.

Get more knowledge

Learn more about having a broken leg in a cast at www.patienthåndbogen.dk (in Danish only). Search for ‘Gipsbehandling’ (treatment using a cast) or and ‘Knoglebrud, generalt’ (Fractures, general).