First Aid for Fractures

A fracture is a violation of the integrity of the bone, which is usually the result of any external action or (less often) changes in the structure of the bone. The injury is the cause of the fracture in 95%.

What are the fractures

If the fracture occurs with minimal impact, it indicates a violation of the structure of the bones, which occurs due to a lack of calcium or phosphorus, as well as specific diseases: bone tuberculosis, syphilis. Such fractures are called pathological.

In structure it is accepted to allocate:

• complete fracture-the bone is completely refracted and divided into two parts;
• comminuted fracture – as a result of the fracture several fragments are formed;
• incomplete fracture-the damaged bone is not completely separated.

A bone fracture is considered as a separate type of fracture. Children often talk about the fracture of the type of green branch – when the periosteum is flexible and remains intact.

Depending on the fracture line, say about transverse, longitudinal, helical, oblique, compression fractures. They can also be divided into closed and open. With a closed fracture, the skin and mucous membranes retain their integrity. In open fractures, the integrity of the skin is violated.

It should be known that damage to blood vessels and nerves can accompany both closed and open fracture. A high probability of damage to the vessels occurs with injuries to the limbs. The bones, surrounded by a large number of muscles, shift when the fracture.

How to determine if a bone is broken or not

To determine whether the bone is broken or not, carefully inspect the victim.

The external signs of a bone fracture are:

• wrong position of the limb;
• shortening of the limb-when compared with healthy;
• violation of motion in the affected limb.

The victim often experiences severe pain at the fracture site, the degree of which is curled from the integrity of the nerve fibers; with significant damage to the nerve bundles, a loss of pain sensitivity may occur. Even if there are no visible signs of a limb fracture, but the victim is experiencing pain at rest, the probability of a fracture can not be excluded completely.

In addition to these features, it may be observed:

• the mobility of the bones at the point of fracture;
• a crunch that creates bone fragments.

Symptoms should be tested with extreme caution because the slightest movement of the bones can cause severe pain in the affected person.

First aid for limb fractures

If you see clear signs of a fracture in the victim, it is necessary to provide first aid to him.

• Anesthesia

The fracture is accompanied by a significant pain syndrome, so it is recommended to give the victim an anesthetic tablet. Important! Before taking any analgesic specify whether the suffering of the victim is not allergic and if he had peptic ulcer disease.

• Immobilization

The injured limb must be in maximum rest. Do not move the victim until the tire is applied.

• Splinting

In order to fix the limb, you can use any improvised materials: a stick, a MOP, a different solid object. The tire should be shortened or bent, if necessary, so that it is most suitable for your task. It is superimposed on top of clothes and securely fastened with a bandage. General rules of bandaging when fixing the tire: the bandage is sent from the periphery to the center, from the bottom up. When applying the tire on the hand, you can perform a slant bandage.

If there are no suitable items on hand that can be used as a tire, fix them as follows:

• the upper limb is pinned to the body;
• lower limb to healthy leg.

To ensure the immobility of the injured limb, it is necessary to fix at least two joints: one above the fracture point, the other below. If you suspect a fracture of the hip or neck of the thigh, the leg is completely fixed – all three joints.

Fractures of small bones

Fractures of small bones of the foot or hand may be manifested by pain and severe swelling. A bruise forms around the fracture. With such an injury, reposition is often required (that is, returning to the place of bone fragments), including the use of spokes and plates. Fracture of fingers superimposed special Longuet.

Fracture of small bones of the foot is treated with a plaster or fixing bandage. With a broken toe, you can do without a bandage-a broken finger is fixed to a healthy and limit physical activity.

What not to do in case of limb injury

Often, in order to determine whether the bone is broken or not, wrong actions are taken in the root. Not worth:

• sharply to step on the injured leg;
• start checking the mobility of joints with sharp movements;
• after an injury, the hands should not make rotational movements in the shoulder joint – in addition to the fracture, you can earn a dislocation.

If you doubt the integrity of the bone, contact the nearest emergency room and perform an x-ray.

When fracture is dangerous

Dangerous include fractures of the bones of the skull, vertebrae, fractures of the pelvis. If you suspect a fracture of such localization provide peace to the victim and immediately call a doctor.

What to do when open fracture

With an open fracture, you can often see the wound and bleeding. In this case, the primary stop of bleeding and wound treatment. Then the injured limb is fixed; in the place of wound leave “window” to observe the wound.

Rib fractures: signs and first aid

Signs: in addition to local pain, there is difficulty breathing and pain in deep breathing. If the ribs have injured the lung, there is swelling of the soft tissues, air can accumulate under the skin.

First aid for suspected broken ribs — overlay tight bandages on the torso. To do this, you can use a sheet or a strip of cloth with a length of at least 1.5 meters. On the most deep exhalation, tight bandaging is carried out, the edge of the canvas is firmly fixed.

After the fracture of the ribs is recommended rest, no physical activity. A tight bandage is usually worn for 3-4 weeks.

Trauma or fractures to the pelvis

When falling backwards or when squeezing with a heavy object, the pelvic bones can be injured. Their fracture is quite dangerous, because it can be accompanied by an injury to internal organs, especially ureters and bladder.

The main sign of a fracture of the pelvic bones-the lack of mobility of the lower extremities. There may be a violation of the configuration and severe pain. It’s a pretty complex fracture. There is a principle: do no harm.

First aid: put the victim on a hard shield; under bent knees put a roller or other object — this is called the frog pose. Transport the victim optimally in the supine position. If there is no solid shield, transportation on soft stretchers is allowed. While the victim lay on his stomach, his head to one side.

Craniocerebral injuries with the formation of a fracture of the skull bones

The weakest bones of the skull are the facial bones. The temporal bone is often broken in a side impact in the head.

Signs of a skull fracture:

• impaired consciousness, stupor, confused speech;
• visible bleeding;
• the symptom of “glasses” is bruising under both eyes.

If you suspect a skull fracture your actions:

• to provide maximum comfort to the victim;
• cold around the wound;
• head to fix;
• stop the bleeding;
• quickly deliver to the hospital.

What to do if nose is broken

Signs of a nose fracture: its visual shift to the side, severe swelling and pronounced pain.

What to do:

• tilt the victim’s head forward and stop the bleeding; gauze tampons can be gently placed in the nostrils;
• apply cold to the bridge of the nose;
• do not put the patient on his back, as blood can get into the respiratory tract;
• control vital functions;
• call an emergency medical team or take the victim to a hospital.

In the emergency room, the doctor can perform a reposition of the nose bones. Be sure to make an x — ray, if necessary-suturing the wound. Do not attempt to straighten the nose yourself, it can aggravate the situation.

What happens if the fracture is treated at home?

Instead of concluding, I would like to remind you that any serious injuries — dislocations and fractures — require medical assistance. The doctor will correctly match the bone fragments and apply a fixing bandage. Some fractures require surgical treatment or wearing a special apparatus for stretching.

If the fracture is not treated properly, complications may occur:

• incorrect fusion of bone fragments;
• shortening and deformity of the limb;
• the formation of a false joint that leads to disability.

Please note that the callus begins to form quite quickly, so the visit to the doctor can not be postponed.

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