Injury to Muscles, Bones and Joints Acknowledgements Where illustrations have been sourced from the internet, the licencing arrangement under which they have been reproduced is shown in parentheses. VA Picture Author 3 muscle LP640 (Attribution-Share Alike 3.0) skeleton Mariana Ruiz Villarreal (public domain (wikimedia)) 4 sprained ankle harrygouvas (Attribution-Share Alike 3.0) hamstring strain trevererbondi (public domain (wikimedia)) 7 opentibial# tiffanisullivan (public domain (photobucket)) clavicle#L Fpjacquot (public domain (wikimedia)) 9 broken_ankle2 CJ Sorg (Attribution ShareAlike 2.0) 10 splinted casualty R Scarsbrook 11 splint closeup R Scarsbrook  Injury to Muscles, Bones and Joints

Contents Anatomy Sprains and strains Fractures and dislocations

Bones and muscles Skeleton Muscles bones ligaments support, protection, movement Muscles muscle tendons movement, vital functions

Sprains & strains Sprain Strain stretching or tearing tissues at a joint pain at joint swelling bruising and discolouration (later) pain on movement inability to move joint Strain overstretching of a muscle sudden sharp pain at site of injury swelling in limb muscle

Treatment RICE Rest - support in most comfortable position Ice bag or cold water compress Compression with cotton wool and bandage Elevation of injured area Evacuate to medical aid RICE

Fracture causes Break or crack in bone Direct force Indirect force Violent muscular contraction

Fracture features Types Complications open closed associated injuries organs blood vessels tissues nerves spine missed injuries shock

Dislocation Displacement of one or more bones at a joint Treat the same as a fracture hard to distinguish anyway do not attempt to reset Normal Dislocated

Signs & symptoms Sound Visible bone ends Pain Deformity Crepitus Tenderness Swelling/bruising Loss of power Shock

Treatment Immobilise where lying Steady limb until splinted Support in most comfortable position Dress open fracture before splinting Transport slowly and deliberately Don’t miss other less obvious conditions Treat for shock Nil by mouth Evacuate to medical facility

Practicalities Uninjured limbs make good splints Splints need length & rigidity Padding Natural hollows Knots away from injury Don’t bind too tightly Raise injury if possible

Summary Anatomy Sprains and strains Fractures and dislocations