Wilderness First Aid: Realigning Fractured Bones - A Guide

In the wilderness, with hospitals far away, a time may come when you need to realign a fractured bone as part of treatment.

Instructions

Initial Assessment and Treatment

• 1

  Assess for fracture (see "How to Assess for Fracture").

• 2

  Immobilize the injury: Any movement is not only very painful but can worsen the injury.

• 3

  Consider where the fracture is. If it's a broken femur (upper leg), then realign and apply a traction splint (see "How to Make a Traction Splint for a Broken Femur").

• 4

  Consider how long it would take to get to a hospital. If you are more than two hours from a hospital, realign.

• 5

  Check for pulse beyond the injury: If there is no pulse, or if circulation is severely impeded, realign.

• 6

  Assess whether the fracture can be immobilized in its current position. If it can't be, realign.

Realignment

• 7

  Have another rescuer support the injured limb above the fracture site.

• 8

  Grasp the injured limb below the fracture site.

• 9

  Provide gentle traction: Pull gently in line with the long axis of the bone.

• 10

  Move the lower part of the bone, gently and carefully, into line with the upper part.

• 11

  Release traction and splint the fracture (see eHows on splinting).