There are different types of traumatic injuries based on severity.The most traumatic bone injury is a stress fracture of the bone.Fractures that result in pieces that are not straight, particularly if they poke through the skin, can be life threatening.A broken bone needs to be realigned in a timely manner, but not by someone untrained.Fracture realignment should be done by a surgeon or physician, although other health professionals and first responders may have to do it.
Step 1: Take a look at the injury.
It's important to be able to identify a broken bone in an emergency situation.Fractures occur with a lot of trauma, such as a hard fall or car accident, and the person almost always feels severe pain.Fractures to the head, spine or pelvis are difficult to determine without x-rays, and are injuries that require a person not be moved, realigned or transported.Long bones such as the arms, legs, fingers and toes will look out of place.It's best to call for an ambulance and get professional medical help instead of attempting to realign any bones yourself after you've identified a suspected fracture.There are many signs and symptoms of a broken bone.Trying to move a person with a fractured spine is very risky and should be avoided.Blood vessels and nerves can be damaged if broken bones are not aligned correctly.
Step 2: The person needs to be calm.
When dealing with someone with a broken bone, the first thing you should do is calm her down, because if she starts to panic and go into shock, her body processes will start to shut down.As such, assure the person, calm her down, explain she is injured but that she will be okay, and then let her know help is on the way.Any untrained person at the site of an accident is subject to this advice.If possible, have the person lie down with her head propped up.Make sure the person doesn't move her broken bone.Don't allow a person with a head, neck, or Pelvic injury to get up and walk.To keep her warm, cover her with a blanket or jacket.
Step 3: Ice the injury.
It's best to apply ice to the bone fracture as soon as you can.Cold therapy has many benefits including numbing the pain, reducing inflammation, and slowing down bleeding.You can use frozen gel packs and bags of veggies from the freezer, but make sure to wrap it in a thin towel before applying it to your skin in order to avoid ice burn.Before attempting to reset or realign the fractured bone, apply the cold therapy for at least 15 minutes.While the cold therapy is being applied, make sure the broken limb is elevated in order to combat inflammation and slow down any blood loss.However, broken legs should not be elevated.In order to elevate the broken limb, do not harm it.Cold therapy can be applied with a bandage, elastic support or even a belt to fight swelling and blood loss.Don't tie the compression bandage too tight or leave it on for more than 15 minutes because it could cause more damage to the injured area.
Step 4: Take medication to control the pain.
The patient may lose consciousness or go further into shock if you don't control pain.Before any sort of realignment procedure, patients with fractured bones are usually given strong prescription medication.Cold therapy and over-the-counter drugs are all that can be hoped for in an emergency.If there is a lot of bleeding associated with a broken bone, acetaminophen is the best pain killer because it doesn't "thin" the blood.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen are effective for pain and inflammation control, but they also inhibit blood clotting, so they aren't a good idea for injuries involving significant bleeding.Even if there is no bleeding, an NSAID should not be given until at least 30 minutes after the injury.Aspirin and Ibuprofen should not be given to young children if there's a lot of bleeding associated with a broken bone.
Step 5: If possible, wait for a qualified medical personnel.
Emergency situations that occur in isolated locations needn't always unfold without trained medical people present due to the advancement of communication technology.Nowadays, with vast cellphone network coverage, your first thought in an emergency situation should be to call for help before attempting to offer first-aid or medical attention, such as aligning a fractured bone.If you are located in an isolated area, help may not arrive for up to an hour or more.It is possible to do some basic first aid to get the person to safety.If you don't think you can realign a broken bone on your own, then focus on making sure the person can breathe and controlling the bleeding.
Step 6: The bone should be realign with a closed reduction.
Realigning a fractured bone is necessary because it reduces pain, supports healing, can reduce internal bleeding, prevents further complications, and restores normal function and use of the injured bone.If the fractured bone is stable, closed reduction can be performed.Closed reduction involves stabilizing above and below the fracture site and applying traction to the most distal piece in the general direction that it's facing.The fractured bone looks straight if the most distal piece is gently moved back to its anatomical position.A closed reduction realigns bones.If in a clinical setting, traction can be applied with the help of weights and pulleys.If it's not possible to get medical help immediately, only fingers and toes should be realigned with traction.There is a high risk of injury for untrained bones.If there is resistance or an increase in pain, stop realigning the bone.If the surrounding muscles have gone into spasm, muscle relaxant medication may help.
Step 7: The bone should be realigned with an open reduction.
The open reduction method involves cutting into the skin and other soft tissues to get to the fractured site and put the bone fragments back together.Only if closed reduction with traction is unsuccessful or not possible is open reduction done.When bones are badly crushed, open reduction is usually used for the most serious types of fractured bones.There are two types of open reduction surgery: internal fixation and external fixation.Special metal screws, rods and plates are used to hold everything in place until the injury heals.Even after the injury heals, the hardware is often still in place under the skin.External fixation holds the bone in place as it heals with a supportive external frame made of rods that are drilled into the bones with metal screws.Once the bone is strong enough to support itself, the frame is removed.This technique is used for broken bones that can't be repaired with open reduction or surgical internal fixation.Any type of bone repair surgery requires a general anesthesia.
Step 8: If you want the best alignment, cast the bone.
A plaster or fiberglass cast is used to keep the fractured bone in place after a successful closed reduction procedure.The most effective way of getting a well-aligned bone is to cast it.Protection from further trauma is provided by casts and splints.After the supportive frame is removed with internal fixation, casting and splinting can be done in conjunction with metal screws and plates.Depending on the severity of the injury, casts and splints can be left on for several weeks.Pieces of wood, metal, plastic, and stiff cardboard are some of the materials that can be used in an emergency situation.To allow appropriate blood circulation, try to allow movement in the adjacent joints, and don't secure the material too tight.