First Aid for fracture, Sprain & strain

Causes of fracture of cheekbone or nose

Injuries and fractures of the cheekbone or nose are often the result of deliberate blows to the
face.
signs and symptoms
Swelling or bruising.
Deformity of the nose or face.
The nose might be bleeding.
There might be bleeding from the mouth.
First aid management
 Safety first
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Apply a cold compress gently on the affected area to reduce the swelling. If the nose is
bleeding, ask the victim to gently press the nostrils to stop the bleeding.
 Never try to put a deformed nose back into its normal position
Cause of fracture of lower jaw
direct force, such as a heavy blow to the chin.
Fall on the chin might result in fractures of both sides of the jaw.
Signs & symptoms
Difficulty in speaking and/or opening his mouth. Saliva becomes blood-stained.
Face and lower jaw is swollen.
Teeth look irregular, some teeth may fall out.
First Aid management
 Safety first
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Ask the casualty not to speak.
 Do not give them anything to eat or drink. Have them remove false teeth (if any).
 Check for airway obstruction caused by the tongue or
 blood.
 Press the jaw upwards against the upper jaw to splint the fracture.
 Apply a head bandage to support the jaw.
  If vomiting occurs, remove and reapply the bandage.
 If conscious, ask them to lean forward to prevent choking.
 Place an unconscious casualty in the recovery position.
 Start CPR if they stop breathing.
 Preserve fallen teeth in a closed container with egg white, coconut water, or milk, or in
saliva. Mark the container and transport it to the hospital with the casualty
Causes of fracture of shoulder, ribs & breast bone
Fall
Accident
Signs & symptoms
 The casualty is in terrible pain, which gets worse when they move.
 The victim could decide not to move the injured area because of the agony.
 The victim may lean their head to the affected side and support the injured arm in an
effort to lessen their discomfort.
 It can be possible to see the shoulder blade in an unusual posture.
First aid management
 Safety first
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Tell the person to hold their damaged arm close to their body to keep it immobilized.
 Retain any clothing that covers the wounded region.
 With the aid of a sling or other similar support, hold up the damaged side arm.
 Make plans for transportation to the closest medical facility for additional assessment and
car
 Refer to health care
Collar bone fracture
Signs & symptoms
 The damaged arm is only partially functional and is frequently supported at the elbow
with the opposite hand.
 The head of the victim may be slanted towards the wounded side, giving them a droopy
appearance.
 There can be swelling and a visible shoulder deformity. The shattered ends of the
clavicle bone may occasionally be felt or seen
First aid management
 Safety
  Call for help
 Hygiene
 Tell the person to hold the damaged side arm close to the body to immobilize it.
 Don't take off the individual's clothes.
 For support, put a pad in the armpit on the side that is injured.
 To make a sling, wrap a bandage in a triangle.
 Using the triangular bandage, secure the upper arm to the side of the chest, leaving the
forearm free. Place the knot on the side farthest from the wound.
 Make transportation arrangements to the nearest medical centre.
First Aid for rib Fracture
 Safety first
 Call for help
 hygiene
 First, bandage any chest wounds that are still open.
 Help the casualty sit comfortably, usually in a half-sitting position, if there is no chest
wound or if it has been bandaged.
 Use a sling to support the injured arm.
 Arrange for transportation to the closest medical centre.
 There is a chance that air will be drawn into the chest cavity if there is a penetrating
chest wound. For more information, see the "Heart and circulation" chapter's "Chest
injuries" section.
 Refer the victim to the nearest hospital
Fracture of breastbone
Signs & symptoms
 The casualty experiences pain in the area of the fracture.
 Breathing becomes difficult for the casualty.
 Irregularity can be felt when running fingers along the breastbone
First Aid management
 Safety
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Loosen tight clothing.
 Support the casualty into his most comfortable position.
 Cover the casualty with the light material. Arrange transport to the nearest healthcare
facility.
CAUSES OF INJURIES AND FRACTURES TO THE ARM
Fractures and injuries of the upper arm, forearm and wrist can be caused by direct impact or by
falls.
signs and symptoms:
The casualty complains of pain that increases with movement.
There might be tenderness and deformity over the site of the fracture. There might be swelling
of the affected area.
There might be bruising observed (though this might develop slowly). If there is an open
fracture, a wound and bleeding can be observed
First aid management
 Safety first
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic bag
 Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood.
 Tell the person to immobilise the affected arm by holding his arm close to his body until
he obtains medical care
 If the person cannot support the arm, provide a sling with a triangular bandage or
improvise by turning up the lower end of the clothing and pining it above the arm to
form a sling.
 In case of a suspected upper arm fracture, you might bandage the upper arm to the chest:
 Do not apply the bandage on the immediate site of the fracture.
 Always tie the knots (reef knot) on the opposite side of the thorax and not on the
fractured forearm.
 The bandaging should be fairly firm so there is no movement of the fracture ends, but it
should not be too tight in which case the circulation of blood might be stopped.
 Always check that the fingers are not too cold and the splint is not too tight. There might
be further swelling of the injured area and readjustment of the bandages might be
necessary.
 In case of a suspected forearm fracture, you might apply a splint (only when the
necessary expertise is available)
 A splint is a rigid piece of wood, plastic or metal that is applied to the fractured limb to
support it and to prevent further movement of the broken bone(s).
 Reasonably wide splints are better than narrow ones.
 In emergency cases splints can be improvised: a folded newspaper, a piece of wood or a
book can be used.
 The splint should be long enough to immobilise the elbow and the wrist of the fractured
forearm.
  The splint should be padded with cotton or cloth to make it fit softly and snugly on the
injured forearm.
 The splint is best applied over the clothing.
 dislocated, do not try to reset it. This might make the injury worse and will cause pain
 do not raise the injured arm to ensure that there is no further damage or increase in pain
 Refer the injured to the nearest healthcare facility.
INJURIES AND FRACTURES OF THE ELBOW
Causes
Injuries and fractures of the elbow are usually caused by a fall on to the hand, or by the direct
impact on the elbow.
signs and symptoms:
 The casualty complains of pain that increases with movement.
 There might be swelling of the affected area.
 There might be bruising observed (though this might develop slowly).
 There is no movement in the elbow or arm.
First aid management
 Safety first
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic bag
 Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood.
 broad or narrow triangular bandage
 in figure of eight and strap the arm to the chest and support the forearm in a triangular
sling.
 If the elbow cannot be bent:
 Help the casualty to lie down
 Place paddings under and between the elbow and the body to immobilise the elbow.
 Strap the arm and forearm on the side of the body using three folded (narrow) triangular
bandages. Knots are tied on the opposite side of the body.
 Transport the casualty to the nearest healthcare facility.
FRACTURES OF THE HAND OR FINGERS
Causes
Injuries and fractures of the hand and fingers are mostly due to direct force injuries. There
might be a severe bleeding in the palm.
Hand crush injuries often result in multiple hand fractures
 Causes
 The casualty complains of pain, increased by movement. Swelling, bruising and
deformity might occur.
 If an open fracture: a wound and external bleeding appear
First aid management
 Safety
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic
bag
 Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood.
 If there is bleeding, stop the bleeding by direct pressure.
 If possible, remove any rings, bangles etc. before the hand begins to swell
 Protect and support the hand by soft padding.
 Keep the hand in a suitable sling (cuff and collar).
 Eventually, apply a splint to broken fingers.
 Arrange transport to the nearest healthcare facility.
INJURIES AND FRACTURES OF THE LEG (THIGH OR LOWER LEG) OR
ANKLE
Causes
 It takes a strong force to fracture the thigh bone (femur).
 A fracture of the neck of the thigh bone occurs quite frequently in elderly, mostly as a
result of a fall. Always assume a fracture and not a simple bruising in these cases. Deal it
as a case of fracture of pelvis.
 Fractures of the thigh bone are a serious injury. There will be bleeding into the
surrounding tissues and this might result in shock. The healing of the bone takes long
time and is even more prolonged in older people.
 Fractures of the lower leg include fractures of the shin bone (tibia) and the splint bone
(fibula). Shin bone fractures are mostly the result of a heavy blow. The splint bone and
ankle fractures can result because of twisting of the ankle
Signs & symptoms
 The casualty complains of pain at the injury site. There might be swelling.
 There might be bruising.
 The leg might look shortened, turned or deformed. The casualty can’t walk.
 There might be signs of shock (i.e. in case of pelvis or femur fractures).
 In case of an open fracture: a wound and external bleeding
First Aid management
  Safety
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic bag
 Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood.
 Tell the injured person not to try to stand/move
 If the broken leg looks deformed or dislocated, do not try to reset it. This might make the
injury worse and will cause pain.
 To transport the injured person, keep the leg still by bandaging or splinting one leg to the
other non- broken/non-dislocated one.
 Carefully move the uninjured leg to the injured leg.
 Use suitable padding to fill in the hollow areas (between the legs). Use bandages or
strips of cloth to attach both legs together.
 Do not apply the bandages on the immediate site of the fracture.
 The bandaging should be passed through the natural hollows such as knees or just above
the ankles to avoid unnecessary movement of the bones.
 Always tie the knots on the uninjured leg side.
 The bandaging should be fairly firm so that there is no movement of the fracture ends,
but it should not be too tight in which case the circulation of blood might be stopped
 Always check that the toes are not too cold and the splint is not too tight
 There might be further swelling of the injured area and readjustment of the
bandages might be necessary.
 Eventually you can apply a splint (only when the first aider has the necessary expertise)
 Ask the person to keep still
 Do not raise the injured leg as it may further worsen the injury and increase the pain.
 Arrange transport to the nearest healthcare facility.
FRACTURE OF THE KNEE CAP (PATELLA)
Causes
Kneecap fractures are often the result of direct fall on the knee or blow, violent twists or
strains.
signs and symptoms:
 The casualty complains of pain at the injury site.
 There might be swelling. There might be bruising. The casualty can’t walk.
 In case of an open fracture: a wound and external bleeding.
 The knee might appear ‘locked’, the casualty complains of acute pain when trying to
straighten the leg.
 Deformity can be felt by a simple touch.
 First Aid management
 Safety
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic bag
 Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood
 Help the person to lie down in the most comfortable position.
 Do not attempt to straighten the knee forcibly. Displaced cartilage or internal bleeding
might make it impossible to straighten the knee joint
 Place a soft padding like pillow under the knee to support it in the most comfortable
position

 Apply a padded splint under the limb from the buttocks to the heel. The ankles should
be raised from the splint by padding.
 Fix the splint:
 A narrow bandage in a figure-of-eight bandage around the knee. Place the center of the
narrow bandage above the upper part of the fractured piece, cross it behind the knee and
bring it up crossing the lower fractured bit to the back of the knee. Tie it off at a point
just below the knee cap.
 Transport the injured to the healthcare facility

 If possible, keep the injured limb a little raised,
 e.g. on a blanket
INJURIES AND FRACTURES OF FOOT OR TOES
Causes
Foot injuries and fractures are often caused by direct injury as a crush injury (e.g. a wheel
driving over the foot).
signs and symptoms:
 The casualty complains of pain at the injury site.
 There is stiffness of movement or loss of power in the foot.
 There might be swelling. There might be bruising. The casualty can’t walk.
First Aid management
 Safety
 Call for help
 Hygiene
 Use gloves to protect yourself. If no gloves are available, you can use a clean plastic bag
  Try not to come in contact with the person’s blood
 Help the person to lie down in the most comfortable position
 Raise the injured foot to reduce the blood flow.
 If the casualty wears shoes and no wound is visible or expected, leave the shoes on.
 If a wound is visible or expected,
 Remove the footwear carefully and remove (or cut) the socks.
 Stop the bleeding and cover the wound.
 Apply an open triangular bandage to the injured foot:
 Place the center of the open bandage over the injured foot.
 Cross the ends over the foot and carry them to the back of the ankle and tie the knot on
the front side
 Use the other foot as a splint. Tie both feet and legs together below the knee.
 Put padding between knees, ankles and feet. Tie both feet and legs together below the
knee
 Transport the injured to the healthcare facility.
 If possible, keep the injured foot raised, e.g. on blanket
STRAINS AND SPRAINS
Strains occur when a muscle is overstretched or torn.
sprains involve tearing of ligaments or surrounding joint tissues.
Signs and symptoms of strains:
 Pain in the affected muscle
 Swelling
 Bruising
Signs and symptoms of sprains
 Complaints of pain around the affected joint.
 Report of a sudden sharp pain in the muscle.
 Inability to use or put weight on the joint.
 Presence of:
 Swelling.
 Bruising.
 Tenderness
First Aid Management
 Avoid applying crepe or compression bandages for muscle or joint injuries.
 Apply ice wrapped in a cloth or towel to the injury. Ice helps reduce pain and promote
healing.
 Ensure the ice does not directly touch the skin.
 If ice is not available, use cold water to create a cold compress. Apply ice or cold
compress for a maximum of 20 minutes.
 Do not massage the injury.
 Avoid applying heat to the injury.
 Advise the injured person to rest and refrain from continuing the activity.
 Arrange transportation to a healthcare facility for further evaluation and treatment.
 Seek medical attention for proper diagnosis and management of strains and sprains.