Excessive Precautionary Measures

I've mentioned at least a few times now how Koreans seem to be quite adept at breaking themselves. I'm constantly finding locals suited up with various casts on their limbs, in what I had always assumed meant broken wrists, arms, legs and ankles. Well, I've just recently had a revelation on the subject, as I am now one of the walking stories behind why so many people are bound and casted.


I do not have any broken bones. Well, it's possible I might have a tiny issue with my thumb, but going over the X-rays with my doctor left him believing it was just a bad sprain, and I am fairly confident he's correct. That's right, just a sprain, and to make sure I'm OK I've been given a full wrist cast. The injury itself was a pretty moronic thing for me to have done, but then again isn't it often that way? My two most devastating injuries came from snowboarding (legitimately dangerous) and a hammock. This time it was a punching bag arcade game, where you throw in a few cents and see how hard you can punch the target. Well, hanging out with other guys, a little macho-ism and a few drinks are a recipe for disaster, and while I can use my thumb pretty good already in spite of the injury, I suppose the pain and awkwardness of having a cast is something I deserve. And if nothing else, my arm can serve to promulgate the degree to which medicine and treatment is handed out in Korea.

For anyone interested in how the cast itself works here, they have some strange "casting paper" stuff that wraps around your hand, is squeezed and held in place, then BAM! you've got a rock hard cast on. No water, no wet bandage wrapping or fiberglassing, just a little cutting to size and wrap it on. Maybe this isn't all that new, but it's been a long time since I've been in a cast. Still, it's a mystery to me as to why this fancy cast is so necessary when a little thumb splint would have done the job. Maybe the advanced Korean medical technology thought aluminum and tape just weren't "cool" enough to keep using.