Hi there. I just broke my wrist snowboarding, and have to get a cast for 2 months…I’ll be out of the water for that long. Has anybody had experience with Goretex casts (the waterproof casts) or know about them. Just want to know if they work and if they’re worth it. (Also how to get your wetsuit over it!)
Had a cast made out of plaster and lammed it with 2 oz. and polyester. Saturated the plaster first and it held up to all the abuse. Didn’t have the wetsuit problem because it was in the islands. This only works if you have the cotton sock type liner. The rolled cotton as in cotton balls bunches up and gets ruined. If you do this, make a good attempt to dry out the inside every time.
Howzit tblank, You should have told them to do a fiberglass cast. Aloha,Kokua
Kokua, Kahuku Hosp. early 80’s don’t know if they were doing that at the time. At least they never said anything about fiberglass.
I say don’t surf until you can do it without a cast. You can push it and try to surf as soon as possible but chances are the wrist will give you trouble for a long time if you don’t let it heal first, especially if you strained any muscles or ligaments like I did. 5 or 6 years later my wrist still gives me trouble if I surf a bunch of days in a row. Let it heal good and don’t surf until you can do some good push-ups. Then put your money into a good waterproof wrist brace you can use whenever you need it.
Billy… I feel ya. Broke my wrist when I was 12 years old, and had two surgeries on it since then. Looks like I’ll need one more. I’ll be 47 soon. Wrists are buggers. So many little ligaments and bones… lots of things to go wrong.
Let it heal.
Don’t surf the longterm risks are not worth it. In the long run you will loose more than 2 months, if arthritis sets in when you are older, you could loose decades. Look at this as an opportunity to get fitter, stronger and more flexible. Find exercises that will work the surf muscles core and legs, plus cardio. I recommend buying a kettlebell, I cant say enough good things about them.
I broke my humerus (this day) last year, kept me out for 5 months but I came back quite well (even at 49) and managed to resolve my ongoing chronic rotator cuff issues in the process. Up to last week before I got the flu, I was fitter and stronger and paddling better than ever. Have patience and set some fitness goals, It will all be a memory soon.