Ride restrictions for child with a broken hand

[torinsmom]

My 15yo nephew broke his hand last Friday and had to have surgery to put pins in it today. He is in some kind of soft cast. We will be at Disney from August 12-19, so a little more than 2 weeks. He loves the wild rides like RnRC, ToT, Splash, etc. Will there be any restrictions by Disney on what he can ride? It is his dominant hand, and he will only be able to hold on with the one hand.

 

[Kat&Dom]

My 15yo nephew broke his hand last Friday and had to have surgery to put pins in it today. He is in some kind of soft cast. We will be at Disney from August 12-19, so a little more than 2 weeks. He loves the wild rides like RnRC, ToT, Splash, etc. Will there be any restrictions by Disney on what he can ride? It is his dominant hand, and he will only be able to hold on with the one hand.

My son broke his elbow a week before we went to Disney last year. There was no restriction on rides - I did not get asked any questions by any CM's. He had a 2 piece sling in addition to his cast which went around his arm and his mid-section. I thought we would have more issues but I think that Disney leaves the decision up to parental discretion.

 

[torinsmom]

My son broke his elbow a week before we went to Disney last year. There was no restriction on rides - I did not get asked any questions by any CM's. He had a 2 piece sling in addition to his cast which went around his arm and his mid-section. I thought we would have more issues but I think that Disney leaves the decision up to parental discretion.

Was he able to hold on well with one hand on the wilder rides?

 

[Kat&Dom]

Was he able to hold on well with one hand on the wilder rides?

Yes he did hold on with one hand and I made sure that his injured side was next to me rather than next to the hard ride surface in case he did get banged around. We were careful to make sure that he had his elbow protected as much as possible.

He was a total trooper and didn't complain once. We had a great trip and I am glad that we didn't cancel. The doctor didn't give us the clearance to head for our trip until the day before we flew out. It was a stressful time leading up to the trip but we had a wonderful vacation.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip too!

 

[dizanimator]

Was he able to hold on well with one hand on the wilder rides?

I'm not really sure it matters much on most rides. I routinely don't hold on to anything when riding RnRC, ToT, and lots of other rides. The only ride I can think of where I might even want to hold on is BTM, and mainly if I'm riding with someone else and can't pull the bar down as far as I'd like. For that, he may need someone to have an arm around him to help hold him, but that depends on him and how big he is. I can think that water rides might be an issue with getting a cast wet, but not being able to hold on shouldn't be a big issue. I normally ride with my hands up, so while he might keep that hand down, neither of us would be holding on.

 

[torinsmom]

Yes he did hold on with one hand and I made sure that his injured side was next to me rather than next to the hard ride surface in case he did get banged around. We were careful to make sure that he had his elbow protected as much as possible.

He was a total trooper and didn't complain once. We had a great trip and I am glad that we didn't cancel. The doctor didn't give us the clearance to head for our trip until the day before we flew out. It was a stressful time leading up to the trip but we had a wonderful vacation.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip too!

We definitely can't cancel. We bought YES tickets and they are only for set dates and are not refundable. My sister is more worried about rides where noone sits beside him.

 

[doconeill]

I can't think of anything that really requires two hands to hold on.

The only reason there may be a restriction in these cases is if the cast interferes with the operation of the safety restraints - but it doesn't sound like that would be likely.

I like the advice that you keep the injured side to the "inside" with someone else next to him. The sides of vehicles CAN hurt if you whack them.

Even though it is a soft cast, you might want to take precautions to keep it dry - avoiding Kali River Rapids might be wise.

 

[seashoreCM]

The important thing is not to use the hand to grab anything. So wrapping the fingers with something like an Ace bandage will prevent a reflex stretch and grab from actually catching and holding a bar or something and straining the healing joint.

(Duct tape will also work but it gets sweaty underneath and is uncomfortable to remove from someone who is or has started to become hirsute.)

No swimming. Putting the cast in a plastic bag is meant to protect from an occasional soaking such as on Kali River Rapids, not to permit going in the pool or ocean.

 

[rock_doctor]

The only issue i would have if he would accidentally hit somebody with his cast (consider getting an arm sling to hold it stationary) but since it is a soft sided cast that should not be a problem. I would just take precautions so he does not damage his hand if he hit it on something. Otherwise, i can't see where there would be an issue. All rides are designed so that you do not have to hold on. Inertia will hold you in the seat, you may slide around but you will not fall out and any ride where you could hop off the seat for a second will have a lap bar. I would not use duct tape on skin, it can cause damage, so much so it can be used to remove a wart (yea i know, that is one of those facts you didn't know and didn't really want to know). I would go and have a great time, he's 15, he will adapt.

 

[torinsmom]

The important thing is not to use the hand to grab anything. So wrapping the fingers with something like an Ace bandage will prevent a reflex stretch and grab from actually catching and holding a bar or something and straining the healing joint.

(Duct tape will also work but it gets sweaty underneath and is uncomfortable to remove from someone who is or has started to become hirsute.)

No swimming. Putting the cast in a plastic bag is meant to protect from an occasional soaking such as on Kali River Rapids, not to permit going in the pool or ocean.

What does this word mean? I tried to figure it out, but I am stumped.

 

[aubriee]

What does this word mean? I tried to figure it out, but I am stumped.

hairy

 

[torinsmom]

hairy

Ahh, thanks! I have a Master's degree and haven't heard that one I guess I learned a new word today

 

[dawnn12]

my dd broke her arm last summer we found they have a cast waterproof cover(its large and blue you suck the air out of it with the ball thingy...kinda looks like the end of a blood pressure machine but it kept her arm totally dry) she actually got her cast off three days before we went down to disney. she was swimming down the nj shore with the cover on they have different sizes. you might want to look into it, it works great for either swimming, shower, waterparks(you get the idea and i think it was around $20 at a medical supply place) hth and have a good time

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Disney Cast Members will not stop any person who meets a height requirement from any attraction as long as their disability will not affect other people or unless a safety restraint cannot be properly used.

 

[Mama Who]

Skip the teacups! Too much bouncing around. He's safer on ToT or a coaster where he's locked in.

 

[photo_chick]

Did no one say you should check with the doctor? When I broke my arm there were things I was not allowed to do, amusement park rides was one of them. There may be a medical reason he should not go on certain rides, like the force of the ride can shift the broken bones and cause pain (it's what I was told by the docor, but mine was a really bad break). So check with the doctor and make sure it's good there.


As far as the parks go, they'll let anyone on the ride who can use the restraints from what I've seen.

 

[WTDing]

my dd broke her arm last summer we found they have a cast waterproof cover(its large and blue you suck the air out of it with the ball thingy...kinda looks like the end of a blood pressure machine but it kept her arm totally dry) she actually got her cast off three days before we went down to disney. she was swimming down the nj shore with the cover on they have different sizes. you might want to look into it, it works great for either swimming, shower, waterparks(you get the idea and i think it was around $20 at a medical supply place) hth and have a good time

You can actually ask the doctor to make the cast waterproof so you don't have to wear the goofy looking cover. They use a Gore cast liner that allows the skin to still breath etc. It is used in place of cotton under a fiberglass cast.

My daughter had one of these last summer and she was able to do the pool and beach with no issues. We did get lots of stares and questions about how can she get the cast wet. Isn't technology great.

 

[dawnn12]

You can actually ask the doctor to make the cast waterproof so you don't have to wear the goofy looking cover. They use a Gore cast liner that allows the skin to still breath etc. It is used in place of cotton under a fiberglass cast.

My daughter had one of these last summer and she was able to do the pool and beach with no issues. We did get lots of stares and questions about how can she get the cast wet. Isn't technology great.

my dd's doctor didnt have the stuff on hand plus they had to give her three different casts thru the heating process we found out the 20 was worth it(the waterproof casts would of been a 100 oop expense each)

 

[torinsmom]

Did no one say you should check with the doctor? When I broke my arm there were things I was not allowed to do, amusement park rides was one of them. There may be a medical reason he should not go on certain rides, like the force of the ride can shift the broken bones and cause pain (it's what I was told by the docor, but mine was a really bad break). So check with the doctor and make sure it's good there.


As far as the parks go, they'll let anyone on the ride who can use the restraints from what I've seen.

The doctor told them that he could do anything at Disney that he felt comfortable doing. My sister was more worried about what Disney's policy was.

He will have the pins taken out 2 days after we return, but not sure if he will still need a cast at that time. We'll start our WDW days two weeks from this Saturday, so at least there will be 18 days of healing between his surgery and then.