From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Research shows that removable splints are a safe, effective, and cheaper option than traditional plaster casts for minor wrist fractures in children. Such injuries, also known as buckle fractures, are common in children, who tend to incur them when they fall on outstretched hands. These minor fractures are traditionally treated with a plaster cast extending from the wrist to just below the elbow. Researchers reviewing the treatment of buckle fractures confirmed that plaster casts are an overtreatment of the fracture, and that removable splints performed equally well in healing the fracture. Plaster casts that can be removed at home also performed well. Despite agreeing with these conclusions in theory, an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) spokesman pointed out a practicality issue with splints: their removability allow children to take off the splint themselves before the fracture has healed, risking further injury. The AAOS spokesman suggested that physicians continue to use plaster casts on children because they prevent the wearer from any tampering.

Read the full text of this article on healthday.com