Advancing Your Casting Skills: Fabrication & Clinical Decision-Making for the Upper Extremity

Advancing Your Casting Skills: Fabrication & Clinical Decision-Making for the Upper Extremity is organized by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (SRALab) and will be held from Jun 25 - 27, 2025 at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly RIC), Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

Description:
Serial casting is a highly beneficial intervention for patients experiencing contractures in their upper extremities. It also requires extensive practice and skill on the part of the clinician to do properly, which can be hard to acquire. This course was specially designed to provide you with both! Gain hands-on experience in the specialized practice of upper extremity serial casting, focusing on fabrication and clinical decision-making. Class size is limited to provide participants with individualized feedback from expert OT practitioners on the application, management and evaluation of serial casts. Learners will be introduced to a decision-making tool to assist in selecting appropriate situations for this intervention and outline the necessary steps to ensure safety, carryover and long-term effects. Extensive practice with cast removal and casting material will cover the fabrication of three common upper-extremity serial casts (circular elbow, drop out elbow and wrist cast.) Casting faculty will conduct clinical check-offs during the course on cast removal and fabrication. This course will provide learners with the necessary tools and confidence to use this intervention within their own area of practice. 

Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• State the rationale for serial casting of the upper-extremity and determine who would be appropriate for this type of intervention
• Explain how serial casting can assist in return to participation and/or decrease caregiver burden
• Demonstrate appropriate fabrication of three common serial casts for the contracted upper extremity (circular elbow, drop out elbow, wrist cast)
• Demonstrate proficiency in cast removal to allow for safe removal during
  patient care
• Identify and address potential complications associated with serial casting, including skin issues
• Using the clinical decision-making tool, discuss the process and education required to ensure maintenance of range gained through serial casting