Bone fracture first aid

Fracture first aid in the wilderness is a different animal to deal with. You don't have doctors and hospitals to help you. You have to diagnose the break, decide whether to try and set a dislocation, know how to splint it and how to get that person or yourself out of a dangerous situation.

In this section I will cover bone fracture types, bone fracture symptoms and bone fracture first aid.

First bone fracture types:

There are two types of bone fractures: open and closed. With an open fracture, also called a compound fracture, the bone penetrates out through the skin and complicates the actual fracture with an open wound. A closed fracture has no open wounds.

Bone fracture symptoms:

Pain

Very tender

Skin discolored

Swelling with deformity

Loss of function to the limb

A grating sound or feeling

Bone fracture first aid and treatment:

One of the dangers of fractures is the possibility of the severing or the compression of a nerve or blood vessel. For that reason very little movement of the fracture should be done and use caution when doing so.

If the area around the fracture becomes numb, swollen, cool to the touch, or turns pale and the victim shows signs of shock then a major blood vessel may have been severed. This internal bleeding must be treated immediately. Reset the fracture and treat for shock. Replace lost fluids.

Often times you will have to apply and maintain traction while splinting and during the healing process. Many times you can pull the smaller bones, arms and lower legs, by hand. If you are by yourself you can apply traction by wedging the hand or foot into a V-notch of a tree and pushing against the tree with the other extremity. After you have traction, splint the break.

When you have a limb with strong muscles, such as a leg, the muscles will tend to hold the broken bone in place which makes it difficult to maintain traction. For instance, you have a broken femur (thighbone), the leg muscles will hold that broken bone in the broken position until traction is applied.

Making a traction splint for bone fracture first aid:

There is a method you can use to make a traction splint. Keep in mind this is only to apply traction. It takes a couple of branches or saplings, padding and something to tie it all together. Here's how:

1. Get two branches at least 2 inches (5centimeters) thick with a fork on one end of them. Measure from the armpit to 8-12 inches (20-30 centimeter) past the broken limb. If it is a broken leg then the second branch is measured from the groin to 8-12 inches past the leg. If it is an arm then both are measure from the armpit.

If you are splinting a leg then you need to make sure that both are an equal distance past the leg.

2. Pad both branches, now called splints. Notch the ends without the fork and tie a 8-12 inch (20-30 centimeter) cross member in between the two. Make sure it is tied at the bottom of the splints, you need room to put the straps that will hold the traction.

3. Use whatever material you have available to tie the traction splint down the length of the body and limb. Follow the splinting guidelines for that particular extremity.

4. With the material that you have available make an ankle wrap and then tie the ends of that material to the bottom cross member.

5. Put a 4 inch long by 1 inch wide stick in between the two ends of material that are tied to the cross member. Twist the material until the broken limb is as long or longer than the unbroken one.

6. Tie the stick so it will not release the traction. See the picture below.

Once you know how to apply fracture first aid it really isn't that difficult. You just have to know what you are looking for and how to deal with it. Knowing it beforehand makes it much easier. You local first aid course should cover this.

Also please read splinting procedures before attempting this.

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