Injuries to Bones, Joints, and Muscles

fracture- a break in the bone— can be simple or compound. a simple fracture is inside the body, whereas a compound fracture is if the bone broke through the skin

open fractures are more serious— because if you remember what we talked about in our video about wounds, it could get infected easily, and could make someone very sick.

some ways to avoid getting fractures— be very mindful and careful when you're playing sports, wear a helmet and knee and elbow pads when you're riding a bike, scooter, skateboard, or roller blades, wear your seatbelt in the car, make sure to watch for cars when you're in the street and don't play too rough.

signs and symptoms

you can't usually see a simple fracture, because it happens below the skin so you can diagnose a fracture based on the story that happened— did the person fall hard on their arm or leg? do you think the force was strong enough to damage a bone? did they land strangely when jumping off of something?

if the patient felt or heard something break, they're usually right— so make sure to listen to what someone is telling you when you give them first aid, respect their opinion.

when you start to investigate the site where they feel the most pain, compare it to your body. Does it look swollen or red compared to the same spot on your body? do they feel a great deal of physical pain there? make sure not to touch or move the person, to prevent further damage from happening in case they do have a fracture.

make sure the person gets medical attention right away, so they can have an XRAY to see if they have a break.

if you're somewhere where you can't get to a hospital quickly, you can make something called a splint.

splints work by immobilizing— this means they stop the place from moving. You've probably seen someone with a cast before— those do the same things as splints, they're just sturdier.

to make a splint, you put two straight and sturdy boards (rulers on the arm, for example) on either side of the limb— then wrap the limb in cloth or ace bandages to keep the boards from slipping. on an arm, make a sling around the shoulder, holding the arm still, so it's not hanging at the person's side

head injuries

head injuries are some of the most dangerous because within your head, you have your brain— which controls everything we do, think, and say— and things we don't have to think about, like breathing for example. it's very important to call 911 if you think someone has a head injury.

the essentials of first aid for head injuries are

1. call for help (911)

2. always suspect head injury if a lot of force was involved

3. keep the person calm and still

your skull is a bone that protects your brain, in your head. You can get something called a skull fracture— these are not very bad, but, if you suspect someone may have hurt their skull, you need to call 911 because they might have hurt their brain as well— which is the most important body part to keep safe.

some signs and symptoms of head injuries are swelling, someone's pupils (the black part of the eye) being different sizes, bleeding from anywhere like the ears, nose, or mouth, if the person feels tingling in their limbs, or can't move them (this is called paralysis, and it can be dangerous), headache, dizziness, nausea, and especially if the person is unconscious.

if the person is unconscious put a small pillow or soft object under their head, and turn their head to the side, so they won't choke if they have to vomit. Make sure to not move the person until help arrives, in case any other part of the body is injured.

sprains- sprains are issues to the soft tissue around your joints— like your wrist, elbow, knee, or ankle. soft tissue is anything that's inside your body that's soft— like muscle or blood vessels.

signs and symptoms- swelling, tenderness, bruising, pain around a joint.

treatment- elevate the joint, but if there's any chance of fracture, make sure to immobilize the

dislocation- a dislocation is the displacement of a bone from the joint— like a shoulder, elbow, or wrist, etc

first aid— the first aid for dislocation is similar to that of a fracture don't move the person, as that can cause worse injury and even permanent damage.