Serial Casting
A rehabilitative technique involving the sequential application of successive casts at increasing joint angles to progressively lengthen contracted soft tissues and improve range of motion.
Full Definition
Serial casting is a therapeutic procedure in which a limb is immobilised in a cast at the maximum tolerated joint range, and the cast is replaced every one to two weeks with a new cast at a progressively corrected angle. It is commonly used in orthotics and rehabilitation to address equinus contracture, knee flexion contracture, or elbow flexion contracture in patients with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or stroke. Serial casting often precedes or accompanies orthotic fitting, and the two interventions are frequently documented together. Editors must distinguish it from 'casting' in the context of obtaining an orthotic mould (impression casting), which is a fabrication step, not a therapeutic intervention.
Usage
Usage note: Always use the full phrase 'serial casting' to avoid confusion with orthotic impression casting. When both procedures are discussed in the same document, distinguish them explicitly at first reference.
In Context
- "Following four weeks of serial casting, the patient's ankle dorsiflexion improved from −15° to +5°, at which point a custom AFO was fabricated." — Rehabilitation progress note
- "The editor clarified that 'casting' in paragraph three referred to serial casting (therapeutic) rather than mould casting (fabrication), and amended the text accordingly." — Technical document editing note