Broken Bones Instruction Sheet:broken bones first aid

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A child's fracture heals more quickly than an adult's because kids' bones are surrounded by a thick membrane called the periosteum, which helps to rapidly remodel and restore the broken bone. This membrane gradually thins with age. A child's broken thighbone will take four to six weeks to heal, compared with 20 weeks for an adult's and two weeks for a baby's.
Bone fractures in children are most often treated with a fiberglass or plaster cast and rarely require surgery.
You should follow up with your child's orthopedist within one year of a fracture to check that the break has healed and the bone is growing properly, especially if the fracture occurs in the growth plate at either end of the bone. Nearly half of your child's total bone mass is formed by age 10. A diet that includes 500 to 800 milligrams of calcium a day will boost her bone strength. If you suspect a broken bone :
A broken bone can cause severe pain, swelling, tenderness, and also bruising, making it difficult for your child to use that part of his body.
But even if he's able to move an injured hand or foot, for example, your child may still have a hidden fracture that needs medical attention. If you think the bone is broken, you should:Call a hospital if your child is unconscious, bleeding uncontrollably, or cannot walk due to a possible break in a leg or ankle bone. Also, NEVER try to move your child yourself in the unlikely event of an open fracture (i.e., the bone has penetrated the skin). Apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth to stop the bleeding until help arrives. Call your doctor immediately.
Take your child to the hospital yourself if he is able to walk (i.e., if he breaks an arm or wrist). First immobilize the broken bone, since movement can cause further bone injury or damage surrounding blood vessels, nerves and tissues.
To create an arm splint: Place your child's forearm against his chest. If this is too painful, place a pillow or sheet between his arm and chest. Using gauze, a sheet, or a blanket, begin at the elbow and wrap the splint in a diagonal direction around your child's back, coming around his chest and wrapping the upper and lover arm all the way up to the hand. Secure the splint snugly with an ACE bandage or safety pins. Apply ice to the area.
For fractured limbs, take the following precautions until emergency help arrives.
Place the injured part in as natural a position as possible without causing discomfort to the patient. If the patient must be moved to a medical facility, protect the injured part from further injury by applying splints long enough to extend well beyond the joints above and below the fracture. Use firm material, such as a board, pole or metal rod, as a splint. Pad the splints with clothing or other soft material o prevent skin injury. Fasten splints with a bandage or cloth at the break and at points along the splint above and below the break. Use a pressure bandage to control any bleeding.
For very serious fractures involving injuries to the body, neck or back, observe the following:
Do not move the victim without medical supervision, unless absolutely necessary, and then only if the proper splints have been applied. If a victim with a suspected neck or back injury must be moved, keep the back, head and neck in a straight line, preventing them from being twisted or bent during movement. Use a board or stretcher to support the victim, if available.
broken bone, or fracture, is an injury that requires immediate medical attention. Aside from the actual breakage of the bone itself, other symptoms may accompany the bone injury, depending on the severity of and circumstance in which the injury occurred. Here's what you can do to help keep the victim comfortable and prevent further injury until help arrives.
1 Call for emergency help if the injury is severe. Indications of a severe injury may include one or more of the following:
The victim is unconscious, is not breathing, or has no heartbeat. You may need to Administer Adult CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). The victim is pale, sweaty (cold sweat), short of breath and/or confused. These are symptoms suggestive of shock. The injury is to the head, neck, back, hip, pelvis, or upper leg. Severe bleeding. The hurt limb or joint looks deformed or seems to be out of the usual position. Any little movement or light pressure causes pain. The bone has pierced through the skin. (An "open" fracture) The extremity of the injured arm or leg is numb or bluish at the tip.

2 Stop any bleeding. Hold a clean, preferably sterile, absorbent material over the injury and apply gentle yet direct pressure (without applying over the break). 3
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