Ortho week: first aid for injuries
When someone is hurt by a fall or an accident and it looks like a bone may be broken, would you know what to do?
Proper care at the time of the injury can make all the difference in how well a broken bone or dislocated joint heals.
If the accident has the potential for having caused a serious injury, such as a fall off a ladder or being hit by a car, the most important thing to do is what not to do. The injured person should not be moved. This precaution is to prevent further injury if the person may have broken his or her neck or back. It’s important that the person be prevented from turning the neck or lifting the head, again to protect against injuring the neck or spine any further.
Other fractures aren’t so serious, but you still need to be careful. A broken rib, for instance, can pierce the lung. Use common sense and when in doubt, call for help.
For fractured arms or dislocated shoulders, you can make the person more comfortable for the trip to the emergency room by using a sling if it is the arm or shoulder that is hurt. You can make a sling out of any type of cloth that is shaped like a triangle or by taking a big square cloth and folding it in half across the diagonal.
If the leg is broken and you have far to travel, you may want to think about splinting the leg to give it support. Using anything firm, you can put it gently against the side of the leg and wrap it to hold it firm. Be very careful not to put any pressure or to wrap the leg too tightly.
Image: Newscom
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POSTED IN: Acute pain, Emergencies & safety, Ortho (bones, muscles, feet, etc) & osteoporosis
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