A cast saw on human skin

A cast saw can't cut through skin. Find out why in slow motion.

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[SteveMould]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the blade can get quite hot from friction. Another reason not to try this at home!

[SirPembertonS.Crevalius]

I only had a cast once when I was like 8 or so years old, and I was terrified at the saw being used once it was healed, and thought for the longest time that the doctors were just THAT precise and skilled with the saw xD

[integza]

My first job was with prosthetic limbs, we made a lot of casts, most people almost had a heart attack when I pulled out that baby, was really hard to convince them it was safe. Neve knew exactly why it was safe, thank you Steve for that!

[stevebounds]

As an 11 year old in 1987 I vividly remember the doctor holding the case saw against his own arm to show me how it wouldn’t hurt me. Several casts and metal screws and plates from that broken arm I came to trust the cast saw and my doctor.
Side note, I saw that same doctor more than 30 years after my broken arm and upon introducing myself as soon as he heard my name he immediately grabbed my left arm to inspect his work. He 110% remember me all those years later. Thank you Dr. Golden.

[Ramstaandy]

I have to say, I really appreciate that you took the time to explain _why_ trying this for yourself is dangerous and _how_ it could get you hurt, rather than just giving a boilerplate "Don't try this at home".

[bakerfx]

Wow I’m never using a cast saw to shave again! Those differences were insane lol

[MyBrothersMario]

This made me remember when I had my cast removed from my leg when I was a kid and was terrified of the saw and the nurse taking the cast off took the saw and pushed it right up against her own arm to show me that there was no risk of harm. It's something that immediately put me at ease and I let her continue without even so much as a flinch. I hadn't thought of that until this video. Thank you for reminding me of what looking back is a really fold memory.

[alexpadovano]

I am an orthopedic surgeon and cast saw injuries are quite common, even when an experienced person is using them. At my hospital there have been severe injuries.

If you press the oscillating cast saw against a person's skin and then slide it, you will slice right through the skin. The blade can also get extremely hot if it is dull and can cause severe burns.

[the.original.throwback]

About 60 years ago I had a little mishap resulting in a lower arm cast. When I went in to have it removed the doctor came in, and without saying much, turned on what looked like a rotary saw with the blade spinning and pushed it toward the cast on my arm. Before he contacted the cast I had his wrist fully clamped in my good hand, thinking this maniac was going to slice my arm with his crazy saw. The doctor's reactions were astonishment, then anger, then he laughed and put the saw on his own arm to demonstrate how it worked. So we both got educated; I learned about oscillating saws and he learned that patients may need to understand what he is about to do to them.

[jamnmikefx]

I remember being terrified of having my cast being cut off and the doctor just ran it across his arm while it was on and I was like “…oh” and I was fine. Honestly props to that doctor he must have had so many terrified kids coming in

[kukukachu]

the doctor explained this to me when he cut the cast off, but I'm glad to see someone such as yourself explaining this for the people that don't know, and you did it in great detail as well.

[williamboehler]

I had a random doctor cut off my cast in under 3 minutes. He showed me and put that saw to himself before touching the cast. I trusted that doctor. Now I finally know the science behind that.

[davidsims]

Hi Steve, minor correction from a UK Emergency Medicine Doctor. We still use plaster of paris as opposed to synthetic casts when you first break a bone. Plaster is better for the initial molding around the break. We also apply plaster to only one side of the cast, this is called a backslab. The soft side then allows for any swelling that occurs. This is usually then changed to a hard synthetic cast a few days later.

[SulfuricDonut]

For those without facial hair: Even though the differences in hair length on each side are difficult to notice on camera, the actual smoothness of the skin, as well as irritability after shaving, make a world of difference.

[kelvinmql]

This is exactly why the Dremel oscillating multi-tool, with an 80-grit sanding triangle pad, is great for exfoliating heels. The soft skin jiggles. The thick, dead, calloused skin isn’t as pliable, and hence it gets sanded off (slowly).

[ohdang]

I’m loving all the comments of people sharing happy stories with doctors demonstrating the saw on themselves before using it on them. I never had a cast before, but as someone who is often terrified of medical equipment, that kind of understanding and demonstration is way more helpful than the doctor just apathetically saying ‘don’t worry’ and going for it when it’s clear the patient is confused and concerned.

[spyguy]

That comment about trying to find material properties of skin really hit home. I’m a bioengineer, and in college I first learned about regular materials, which are linear (behaves the same at different scales), homogeneous (all made of the same stuff), isotropic (same in all directions), and elastic (doesn’t lose energy when stretched), all very nice properties that make solving problems easy. Then I got to tissue mechanics and realized human bodies are none of those. In fact they’re so complicated the best we can do is ever-more-complex approximations that work for very specific pieces and nothing else.

[joshmaxwell]

The sponsor spot was real eye opener. I've been shaving with a cast saw for most of my life and you finally got me to switch. I'm so happy I did.

[gravestone]

There is a similar oscillating tool meant for safely "buffing" your eyeball. Yes you read that right. I found that out the hard way. I got a shard of metal in my eye ( while wearing glasses AND safety glasses) and there was rust left just under the surface. They use a contraption to hold your lid open and buff away the spot without causing damage. They numb you with drops but you get to enjoy the experience while awake and watch it get Happy nightmares everyone.

[michael-rommel]

Honestly, this is the first time I didn't completely dislike a "sponsor section" of a video. The information was - as always well presented, concise and relevant. Thank you so much for making those videos!