Emergency Cards EN-US

United States

Fractures

Reviewed

Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist. Disclaimer

Do this first

Keep the limb still exactly as you found it and support it in that position.

A broken bone hurts, swells and often looks wrong. The damage that matters usually happens after the injury, when somebody tries to move or straighten the limb.

Step by step

  1. Stop the person moving and calm them. Sit or lie them in the most comfortable position.
  2. Support the injured limb by hand, or with rolled clothing packed on both sides.
  3. Call 911 for a leg, hip, spine, pelvis or open fracture, or for any injury the person cannot support themselves.
  4. Cover an open wound with a clean dressing and press gently beside the bone, never on it.
  5. Apply cold through a cloth for up to twenty minutes to limit swelling. Never put ice on bare skin.
  6. Check the fingers or toes beyond the injury. Cold, blue, numb or pulseless means an urgent problem, so tell the dispatcher.
  7. Give nothing to eat or drink, in case an anaesthetic is needed.

Never do this

  • Do not push a bone back or straighten a deformed limb.
  • Do not let the person walk on a suspected leg, hip or pelvis fracture.
  • Do not move anyone with a suspected spine or neck injury unless they are in immediate danger.

Call emergency services if

  • The limb is deformed, bone is visible, or the person cannot use it at all.
  • Suspected injury to the head, neck, spine, hip or pelvis.
  • Fingers or toes beyond the injury are numb, blue, cold or pale.

Common questions

Break or sprain?

You cannot tell reliably without an X-ray, and it does not change the first aid. Support it, cool it, and have it looked at.

Should I make a splint?

Only if you have to move the person and help is far away. Pad it well, immobilise the joints above and below, and check circulation again after tying.

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Sources and standards

Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist.