Orthopedic casts

A heat-shrinkable orthopedic cast which is preshaped and sufficiently oversize to allow it to be placed around a limb of a patient and which, after being placed around the limb, can be heated so that it shrinks towards the limb, the cast comprising

• (1) a heat-shrinkable main member which comprises
• (a) a fabric support which
• (i) is in an elastically stretched condition, and
• (ii) comprises elastic fibers which are composed of an elastomeric material and are elastically stretched, and
• (b) a solid casting composition which (i) comprises a crystalline casting polymer having a crystalline melting point, T.sub.m, of 40.degree. to 85.degree. C., (ii) contacts the support and maintains it in its elastically stretched condition, and (iii) when the cast is heated to a temperature above T.sub.m, softens and permits shrinkage of the heat-shrinkable main member, at least some of the shrinkage of the main member being provided by elastic shrinkage of the elastically stretched fibers, and
• (2) a flexible reinforcing component which (a) does not prevent shrinkage of the main member, (b) has been applied to the main member and, (c) comprises a polymer precursor which can be polymerized to form a relatively rigid component.

A heat-shrinkable orthopedic cast which is preshaped and sufficiently oversize to allow it to be placed around a limb of a patient and which comprises

• (1) a fabric support which
• (a) is in an elastically stretched condition, and
• (b) comprises elastic fibers which are
• (i) composed of an elastomeric material and
• (ii) elastically stretched;
• and
• (2) a solid casting composition which
• (a) comprises a crystalline polymer having a crystalline melting point T.sub.m which is at least 40.degree. C. and no more than 60.degree.,
• (b) contacts the fabric support and maintains it in its elastically stretched condition, and
• (c) when the cast is heated to a temperature above T.sub.m after the cast has been placed around a limb of a patient, softens into an amorphous state and permits shrinkage of the cast towards the limb without exposing the patient to a temperature which cannot be safely tolerated by the patient;
• said cast, when heated to a temperature above T.sub.m and permitted to shrink in the absence of any restraint, having at least one dimension which shrinks by more than about 5% based on that dimension prior to heating, at least some of the shrinkage of the cast, when it is heated, being provided by elastic shrinkage of the elastically stretched fibers of the fabric support.