Plaster Application for Fracture Treatment in India

Rohan Ali, a 28-year-old construction site...

Rohan Ali, a 28-year-old construction site foreman, was working on a high-rise project when he slipped on a wet beam, falling nearly 10 feet onto a pile of scaffolding. He felt immediate, excruciating pain in his right forearm and heard a sickening crack. At the emergency room, X-rays confirmed a displaced fracture of both the radius and ulna bones. The orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kapoor, explained that while surgery with plates was an option, given the clean break pattern, a closed reduction (manually realigning the bones) followed by a long-arm plaster cast was the recommended first-line treatment to allow natural healing. Rohan was terrified, his mind racing about supporting his young family and losing his job. The reduction under sedation was intensely uncomfortable, a deep, grinding pressure. The application of the cool, wet plaster felt heavy and confining. Over the next six weeks, the initial shock gave way to frustration with the cast's itchiness and the struggle to perform simple tasks left-handed. However, with support from his union and family, he adapted. At his follow-up, the X-ray showed excellent bone union. When the cast was sawed off, his arm felt incredibly weak and alien, but he was profoundly relieved. His emotional journey moved from fear and vulnerability to patience and, finally, to gratitude for his body's ability to heal and for the non-surgical solution that got him back to work in his physical profession.