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Extremities. Care and Treatment. Extremities. Assessment guidelines: Look for signs and symptoms of fractures and dislocations Remember D-O-T-S Deformity Open wound Tenderness Swelling Look at and gently feel the extremity, starting at the distal end (fingers or toes) and working upward.
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Extremities Care and Treatment
Extremities • Assessment guidelines: • Look for signs and symptoms of fractures and dislocations • Remember D-O-T-S • Deformity • Open wound • Tenderness • Swelling • Look at and gently feel the extremity, starting at the distal end (fingers or toes) and working upward.
Assessment guidelines (cont.) • Consider the mechanism of injury in evaluating the possibility of a fracture and its location: • Forces that cause musculoskeletal injuries are direct forces (e.g. a car bumper strikes a pedestrian’s tibia), • Indirect forces along the long axis of bones (e.g. a person falls on to his or her outstretched hand, fracturing the clavicle), • And twisting forces, (e.g. a person’s foot is fixed in one spot while the leg is suddenly twisted). • Remember to check the extremity for circulation, sensation, and movement.
General First Aid Principles • R.I.C.E. • Rest • Ice • Compression • Elevation • Apply appropriate splint to immobilize fractures and dislocations
Bone Injuries • Remove or cut away clothing over injury site. • Look and feel for D-O-T-S • Bleeding from open fracture? • If No: • Check circulation, sensation, and movement • Apply splint • Recheck circulation, sensation and movement periodically • Seek medical attention • If Yes: • Control bleeding; do not push bone; cover wound and bone with a dressing. • Check circulation, sensation, and movement • Apply splint • Recheck circulation, sensation and movement periodically • Seek medical attention
Muscle Injuries • Blow to a muscle? • If Yes: • Contusion • Use R.I.C.E. procedures • If No: • Uncontrolled muscle spasm? • If Yes: • Cramp • Drink cool water • For affected muscle, apply ice pack; gently stretch and/or apply pressure • If No: • Muscle stretched or torn? • If Yes: • Strain (pulled muscle) • Use R.I.C.E.
Joint injuries • Injury located in a joint? • If Yes: • Deformed appearance of joint? • If No: • Sprain • If Yes: • Dislocation • Check circulation, sensation and movement • Stabilize joint • Seek medical attention. • If No: • Probable strain (muscle pull or tear) or contusion (blow to a muscle)