Do all broken bones need casts?
It’s not practical to cast ribs and collarbones (clavicles). Even displaced collarbones (in which pieces on either side of the break are out of line) heal well with a sling or special strap called a “figure-of-eight clavicle strap,” which the child wears like a vest. Some non-displaced finger and toe fractures (in which the pieces on either side of the break line up) that don’t involve the joint or the growing part of a child’s bone (called the growth plate) may heal well with a splint or buddy taping (taping the injured digit to the adjacent unaffected finger or toe).
