Question:I teach first aid and my students often ask about returning a fracture
to the position of function. I always tell them to splint in the
position found, but I have had some other instructors assert that the
limb should be straigtened. What do you think that first
aiders should be taught?
Answer:There are a few things to consider.
First of all, if there is a loss of pulse, or the injured individual
feels pain, tingling, numbness, or paralysis distal to the injury site,
any deformity should be corrected immediately, usually by traction,
positioning and splinting.
If the above does not apply and EMS is quickly available, leave it alone
and let the paramedics or EMT's deal with it.
If EMS is not readily available, it is a judgement call. It probably is
better to try to correct the deformity if there is severe deformity and
there is tenting of the skin (ie: the bone is about to stick out
throught the skin) because skin erosion can occur. Otherwise, I would
try to splint it in place and call for help.
