Fractures, Sprain and Strains

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Fractures, Sprain and Strains

• Lawrence L. Lambert
• Off Shore Paramedic
• Shell Oil Main Pass 252

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What causes fractures, sprains and strains?

• Falls
• Crushing injuries
• Extension and flexion out of normal range of
  motion
• Twisting injuries involved as in tripping

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What causes fractures, sprains and strains?

• Auto Accidents
• Animal Causes Bites, trampling and falls
• Sports Injuries
• Sky diving accidents

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Mechanism of Injury

• Sir Isaac Newtons First law of Physics
• "A body continues to maintain its state of rest
  or of uniform motion unless acted upon by an
  external unbalanced force."
• This law is also called the law of inertia.

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Kinetic Energy

• Energy of life can neither be made or destroyed
  ----It only changes form and is transferred.
• The kinetic energy of an object is the extra
  energy which it possesses due to its motion.
  Having gained this energy during its
  acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic
  energy unless its speed changes.

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Skeletal System DemBones

• Bones are rigid organs that form the skeletal
  system. They function to move, support, and
  protect the various organs of the body, produce
  blood cells both red and white. The also store
  minerals. Because bones come in a variety of
  shapes and have a complex internal and external
  structure, they are lightweight, yet strong and
  hard, in addition to fulfilling their many other
  functions.

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Ligaments

• In its most common use, a ligament is a short
  band of tough fibrous dense regular connective
  tissue composed mainly of long, stringy collagen
  fibers. Ligaments connect bones to other bones to
  form a joint.

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Tendons

• A tendon is a band of tissue that connects a
  muscle to a bone.

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Types of MOI on the human body that can cause
fractures

• Falls
• Height
• Surface landed on
• Part of the body absorbing the most injury
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Speed
• Type Head On, Vs. fixed object, Side or rear
  impact

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Types of MOI on the human body that can cause
fractures

• Penetrating injuries
• Gunshot Wounds
• Stabbing Wounds
• Impaled Objects
• Non Penetrating Injuries
• Blunt force trauma
• Crushing injuries

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Characteristics of These Type of Injury

• Fractures a break in the continuity of the
  bone.
• Open
• Closed
• Sprains result from the stretching or tearing
  of ligaments. Ligaments are tough bands of
  fibrous tissue that connect one bone to another.
  Common locations for sprains are your ankles and
  knees.

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Characteristics of These Type of Injury

• Strains A strain is a stretching or tearing of
  muscle or tendon. People commonly call strains
  "pulled" muscles. Hamstring and back injuries are
  among the most common strains

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Characteristics of These Type of Injury

• Sprains A sprain (from the French word
  espraindre - to wring) is an injury which occurs
  to ligaments caused by being over stretched
  beyond their normal capacity and possibly torn.

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Signs and Symptom's of fractures, strains and
sprains

• Pain at the site
• Swelling
• Discoloration (bruising)
• Deformity (angulation, false joint)
• Open wound consistent with the injury

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First aid for Fractures, Sprains and Strains

• As always in any emergency asses, treat and
  maintain the A, B and C.
• Make sure the airway is open and patent. Open
  airway and suction if necessary.
• Make sure the patient is breathing. If not
  breathing give ventilatory/breathing support.
  Every 5 seconds for an adult.
• Make sure you have a pulse check the distal pulse
  of the area involved. You can check a pulse
  anywhere an artery crosses a bone.
• Look for any external bleeding apply pressure
  do not elevate if fracture is involved.

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First aid for Fractures, Sprains and Strains

• Immobilize the fracture both above and below the
  site of the injury. Splint using commercial
  splinting equipment, padded boards and self
  splinting.
• Ice to the area.
• Seek professional medical care as necessary. The
  only way to rule out a fracture is with an X-ray
  of the affected area.

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Any Questions????

• Thanks for your attention and participation!!!!