SplintBox Short Leg Splint (SLS) Instructions
1. Open the SplintBox SLS, unfold the plastic liner, remove and set items aside.
2. Fold the plastic liner over the edges of the box in order to create a dipping reservoir for the plaster. Fill the box up with warm water.
3. Wrap the foot, ankle, and lower leg with the cotton rolls. You should aim to have >50% overlap or enough padding with the cotton so that the skin is protected from the plaster. Make sure to pad pressure points (calcaneus/heel) well with extra cotton and avoid wrinkles to prevent pressure sores or ulcers.
4. Make a separate stack of 4-5 strips of 4" cotton about 5-6" in length. This will serve to cover the plaster "toe-box". Set aside.
5. Dip one of the two (5”x30”) pre-fabricated plaster slabs in the dipping reservoir. Wring it out and slide between your index and long finger so that the holes are no longer visible in the plaster slab. With the knee flexed and ankle in neutral dorsiflexion, place the plaster on the backside of the lower leg and plantar aspect of the foot. Make sure the plaster is out of the popliteal fossa and off exposed skin. Extra length at the foot can be folded over the top of the toes temporarily. Provisionally secure the first plaster slab with cotton rolls.
6. Dip the second of the two (5”x30”) pre-fabricated plaster slabs in the dipping reservoir. Wring it out and slide between your index and long finger so that the holes are no longer visible in the plaster slab. Place the middle of the plaster slab under the arch/metatarsal heads of the foot and up both sides of the lower leg. Make sure the two plaster ends do not touch on the front of the leg (avoid circumferential plaster). Make sure plaster is directly off of skin. Provisionally secure with more cotton.
7. Fold the first plaster slab excess back down beneath the foot to create a "toe-box", where the plaster extends 0.5"-1" past the toes, and then cover with the 4-5 strips of cotton previously made.
8. Wrap the splint with the elastic bandage, and mold as needed. Allow the plaster to fully harden. Make sure that the toes can move freely, there are no pressure points, and that the splint is not impinging in the popliteal fossa.
9. Place solidifier in the dipping reservoir and then pull the plastic liner out, tie-up, and dispose. Break down the dipping reservoir box and recycle.
