How To Treat a Broken Arm

[Nemesis]

How To Treat a Broken Arm

Broken arms are very painful injuries, but they are rarely life threatening.

Signs and symptoms of a broken arm:

• pain (almost always present)

• swelling

• bruising

• deformity (arm appears out-of-place)

• numbness or tingling

• broken skin with bone visible

• limited mobility of the arm

Treating the broken arm:

1. check the ABC steps:

A = Awake.

If the victim is not awake then rub your knuckles on the centre of their chest while shouting at them to wake up.

B= Breathing.

If the person is not breathing then perform CPR by pushing on the middle of their chest, right between the nipples – push hard and fast – 2 inches deep and at least 100 times per minute. Some people may seem like there breathing but they might not be so perform CPR as told above.

C = Continue Care.

• If the victim is face down and unconscious, roll him/her on their back, face up.
• If the victim has fluid, blood, vomit or food in his mouth, roll them on their side with their arm under their head.
• Stop any bleeding by applying pressure on to the open wound.
• If the victim stops breath then start CPR again.
Broken arms are rarely life threatening and seem to be worse then what they actually are.

2. Control Bleeding:

Use sterile water to clean out the wound by pouring it directly on to it. You could use a saline solution which is 1 gallon of distilled/boiled water for every 8 teaspoons of table salt. Make sure the solution is mixed well. Storing it airtight jars will only allow them to last for 5 days before becoming useless.

The next step in controlling a bleeding wound is to plug up the whole. Blood needs to clot (stick together) in order to start the healing process and stop the bleeding. If blood is flowing then the open wound cannot clot and heal.

The best way to stop bleeding is to apply direct pressure on to the open wound. Gauze dressing works best because it promotes the blood to stick and start to clot, starting the healing process. The next best thing will be terrycloth towels.

If you don’t have either then just use a plain cloth like a tea towel or a bath towel.

If the blood soaks through the cloth then apply another cloth on top, or if using a bath towel then double it over. Never take a cloth that's been applied to a bleeding wound just because blood has soaked through, in doing so you ruin the clotting (sticking) process and it will have to start all over.

3. Look for other injuries.

Do this with moving the victim as little as possible. If the victim shows signs of injury to the head, neck or back do not move him/her.

Splinting the arm.

4. If waiting for help then get the victim to remain still and just wait. If help can’t get to you then the arm will have to be splinted. To splint the arm you must make sure that the elbow, wrist and shoulder joints are all immobilized. Splint the arm above and below the break and do not wrap the arm too tightly.

Once arm is splinted make a sling to support the arms weight and wrap a swath around the victim’s torso (chest) to immobilize the broken arm.

Reduce Swelling.

5. After that take person back to camp. Now put ice or something very cold on the broken arm to reduce swelling, put a thin cloth between the “cold item” and bare skin of the victim as to prevent frostbite. Leave “cold item” on for 15 minutes then take it of for 15 minutes and keep repeating for a while.

Tips:

1. Do not move the victim if you suspect injury to the head, neck or back, unless you have too.

Before splinting

2. Do not move a broken arm or change its position unless the victim’s hand (on the broken arm) is cold, blue, numb or paralyzed. Only attempt to return a deformed arm to the anatomical position (straight down on side with palms facing forwards)