Broken Bones
Broken Bones
Fractures – often know as ‘broken bones’ – come in four basic categories.
- Closed fractures are the most common, where there is a clean break or crack in the bone, there is no protrusion of the skin and no complications.
- A complicated fracture is one where other complications have been caused by the fracture, such as a trapped blood vessel or nerve.
- Open fractures are those where the broken bone has pierced the skin. These will require treatment of the wound as well as the fracture (see Bleeding and treat as an object embedded in the wound).
- Green stick fractures are usually found in children who have more flexible, ‘bendy’ bones – the fracture is more like a split, rather than a full break or crack.
Signs & Symptoms
Fractures – often know as ‘broken bones’ – come in four basic categories.
- Pain at the site of the injury.
- Tender to the touch.
- Loss of power – unable to hold, lift or support their own weight.
- Unnatural movement
- Swelling at the site of the injury.
- Bruising.
- Deformity
- Irregularity – you may be able to detect lumps or depressions where broken ends
- of the bone have moved to an unnatural position (overlapping each other, for example).
- Crepitus – listen for sounds of the broken ends of the bones grinding against each other
Treatment
- Do not attempt to move or straighten a broken bone.
- Keep the casualty warm.
- If you are taking the casualty to hospital yourself, make sure the bone is well supported – it might help to tie a splint to a broken leg, or use a sling to support a broken arm.
- Call 999/112 for a complicated or broken fracture and/or you cannot move the casualty.
Dislocations
A dislocation is where a bone is moved out of its joint, but there is no break – typically the shoulder, finger, but also knee, elbow and femur.
Do not attempt to re-locate a dislocated bone – follow the treatment for a broken bone and get professional help.
Major Injuries
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