Thread: Whats the difference between getting a cast or a sling for a broken arm?

I've seen people with broken arms before and i was wondering why some people only have a cast, why others have a sling, and why some have both?! Is it for different kinds of breaks, and if so, what kind of break gets a sling/cast? im just curious :P x

When I broke my arm, I had to wear a full arm cast + a sling.

Normally it depends on which bone you break and how it was broken...For mine, I dislocated and twisted my left radius so I couldn't move my whole entire arm and the reason why I was in a full arm + a sling, was so I wouldn't move it at all.

People that are in molded casts that only go before the elbow, normally just break there ulna itself and that's about it or it was just a completely clean break and they still have complete mobility in there arm.

In other words, if you don't have mobility in the arm your most likely going to have to use a sling, if you have mobility they'll put a molded cast on.

I would be tempted to day it depends on the severity and location of the fracture.

It really depends on the break. If it's just a hairline fracture, and the doctors just want to support it for a while then they might just give you a sling, but then they might also give you a cast depending on the severity.

People will simple breaks tend to get just a cast, maybe with a sling for a couple of days to help support the bone and let you get used to the cast. Slings tend to help combat some of the pain for a cast, especially a long arm cast. They also use casts to keep shoulders still (if they have been dislocated or similar) but these tend to have a waist strap too which holds the shoulder relatively still...

The first time I broke my arm, it was a simple break, short arm cast for 6 weeks, typical young kid sort of ordeal. They gave me a sling to use when I wanted to, which I did for a couple of days. I've also hurt my shoulder, which was just a sling. I also broke the bone at the top of my arm and the bones in my forearm a few years ago. This meant surgery followed by a long arm cast, a sling with about 100 straps holding the top of my arm still and a plastic shield to stop anything bumping into the top of my arm... For 10 weeks!!!

It really depends. You can usually just ask for a sling if you break your arm, and the doctor will give it to you... Hope this helps!!