• Be sure you know the regulations when traveling with an ankle cast.airport 3 image by Lucy Cherniak from Fotolia.com
  
  Airport security screening becomes more thorough every day. Still, there's no reason why an ankle cast should add additional hassle. You can get through security with these devices in no more time than it takes any other person. Just know what's coming, be cooperative and follow simple guidelines.
  
  

Prepare Thoroughly

• Always have your documentation ready. This includes an airline boarding pass and valid identification. Maintain a good attitude. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) personnel are usually very considerate of those requiring extra help. If this is your first trip with your cast, allow a little extra time since traveling with a cast always involves going a little slower.
  
  

Walk Through

• Assuming you are decently mobile with your ankle cast, proceed normally through the check in and walk-through screening. Ask TSA personnel for help or instructions. Crutches or other support devices go through the normal screening process on the conveyer belt. TSA officers may also use a hand-held metal detector on these devices.
  
  

CastScope

• TSA began rolling out a new, non-invasive device called the CastScope screening system as a supplement to the traditional walk through. It uses backscatter technology to produce an X-ray image of a cast, which can help identify any potential threats. Backscatter technology is an extremely low-level form of X-ray (each scan is equivalent to the normal radiation you receive from 15 minutes of living on Earth). It will not cause damage to implanted medical devices. This simplifies the process, and if you are lucky enough to go through security at one of the CastScope airports, screening is completed using this method. The scan takes about 3 seconds, but multiple scans may be necessary. Once your cast is successfully scanned, you are on your way to boarding.
  
  

Public Screening

• If your airport screening station does not have the CastScope screening system, TSA officers are required to see and touch your ankle cast as part of the screening. That means you will have to raise your pant leg or skirt/dress (if it covers the cast) high enough for an inspection. They do this in the public screening area. They will also conduct an explosive trace sampling test. This involves the security officer attaching a small, circular pad imbedded with an explosive detection chemical to the end of a foot-long wand. Using the wand, the officer touches the pad to various points on your cast. An explosive trace machine then reads the pad. When it gives the "all clear," you are free to go to your boarding gate.
  
  

Private Screening

• You can request a private screening for the inspection and sampling procedure. You are allowed to have a traveling companion, a family member or other assistant accompany and help you into the private screening area as long as that individual is likewise screened via the walk through. TSA states on its website that it will try to have two officers of your gender present during a private screening. A private screening involves the same visual inspection and explosive trace sampling as the public screening. However, it is conducted behind curtains or in a non-public area. When the private screening is successfully completed, you may proceed to boarding.