What to do if you have a spinal fracture?

Spinal fracture is the most common among young and middle-aged men. It is usually caused by indirect external factors, such as falling from a height. Severe spinal fracture can cause paralysis of the patient and even affect the safety of life. The following common sense of treatment should be known.

1. First aid : If the injured person is still pinned by debris, earth, etc., do not pull the exposed limbs hard to prevent further damage to blood vessels, spinal cord, or fractures. Any objects pressing on the injured person should be removed immediately. Spinal fractures are often accompanied by fractures of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae.

2. If the cervical vertebra is fractured, use clothes and pillows to press the sides of the head and neck to keep it immobile.

3. If the thoracic and lumbar spine is fractured , make the injured person lie flat on a hard bed, stuff pillows, bricks, and clothes on both sides of the body to fix the spine in an upright position. Three people are required to work at the same time when carrying the patient. The specific method is: three people squat on one side of the injured person, one person supports the shoulders and back, one person supports the waist and hips, and one person supports the lower limbs. They work together to place the patient in a supine position on a hard stretcher, and pad the waist with clothes and mattresses.

4. Bandage the wound on the body, rinse the wound, stop bleeding, and bandage it.

5. Complete or incomplete fracture injuries should be fixed on the spot and complications should be prevented and treated. In particular, the fastest means of transport to the hospital should be adopted and the patient should be closely observed during the escort.

(1) If a spinal fracture or spinal cord injury is suspected, provide immediate first aid as required for spinal fractures.

(2) During transportation, hard beds, stretchers, and door panels should be used instead of soft beds. It is forbidden to carry the person on one person's back. It should be carried by 2 to 4 people to prevent aggravation of spine and spinal cord injuries.

(3) When carrying the injured person, keep his lower limbs close together, his upper limbs close to his waist, and keep his body in a straight line.

6. When the chest, waist or abdomen are injured , a small pillow or piece of clothing should be placed under the waist during transportation.