Emergency Homemade Splint

In an emergency, a splint can help immobilize an injury, reduce the pain, and prevent further injury until professional medical help has arrived or been seen. This instructable shows how to make a temporary emergency splint from common household items, easy for anyone to try. This splint is for external limbs only, such as legs and arms. !!THIS IS FIRST AID ONLY, NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR MEDICAL CARE!!

There are four basic types of bone, muscle, and joint injuries: Strain, sprain, dislocation, and fracture. The first aid for each of these is usually the same, and details are shown in the photo above.

When to use a splint:

1. A suspected fracture.
2. A sprain or severe strain.
3. Pain, swelling, or deformity after an injury.
4. Difficulty moving a limb.

!!This Splint is only for external extremities such as legs and arms!!

What to look for (Shown in photo above):

1. Deformity, swelling, or bruising.
2. Limited or no use of the injured body part.
3. Bone fragments sticking out of the skin.

Before we get into the step-by-step on how to splint and the supplies needed, it is important to use this helpful resource as our baseline of treatment. It is called the RICE method and is shown in an image above.

The supplies are based on what is available to you, and factors including the person's weight or height. (e.g., If you're splinting a leg, the splint must fit the length of that specific limb)

A Rigid Support (Need 2 of the same thing or 1 of each):

This is the core of the splint, the part that completely immobilizes the body part and restricts motion.

1. Cardboard Strips
2. Rolled up Magazines
3. Ruler, wooden spoons, or pole
4. Newspaper Rolled up

Padding (Need 2 of the same thing or 1 of each):

This is a critical part of the splint for protecting the skin, maximizing comfort, and helping the effectiveness of the immobilization.

1. Towel
2. Blanket
3. Clothing
4. Socks
5. Paper towel

A Fastener (Does not matter how much, need enough to secure)

This is to secure the rigid support and padding to ensure the effectiveness of the splint.

1. Tape, strong enough
2. Bandages
3. Cloth strips
4. Shoe laces
5. String
6. Rope

Scissors (to cut!)

Pen and Paper (Optional)

1. A pen and paper will be helpful to take vitals and condition notes in our last step to hand over to EMS.

1. ENSURE scene safety. Look for hazards such as traffic, broken glass, fire, or unstable objects. !!Do not put yourself or others in danger!! You may use this mnemonic to help with your scene safety survey: no fire, no wire, no gas, no glass, look up, look down, sniff.

!!If there is any evidence of danger, remove yourself from the scene immediately and Call 911!!

1. Introduce yourself to the patient and ask for permission for treatment, say. “My name is ____ and I am knowledgeable in making an emergency splint. May I proceed with treatment?”

1. Identify the injury and location using the earlier introduction of when to use the splint and what to look for. !!IF SUSPECTED NECK, SPINAL, OR HEAD INJURY, DO NOT MOVE THE PERSON AND CONTACT 911 IMMEDIATELY!!

1. Identify the injury and location using the earlier introduction of when to use the splint and what to look for.

1. Wash or sanitize hands. If medical gloves are available, use them.

1. Remove jewelry or any other conflicting items near the injury, such as restricting clothing, or anytime there is excessive swelling, any clothing should be removed.

1. If there is bleeding, CONTROL the bleeding FIRST. You can use a blanket or a paper towel to apply pressure to the wound, or use a tourniquet if required.

1. Position the limb in the most comfortable position possible using the RICE method.

YOU ARE NOT applying a splint if the injury is an open fracture (bone fragments sticking out of the skin), you stabilize the injury as much as possible using the RICE method, and Calling 911!

!!DO NOT try to straighten the limb if it looks deformed or causes severe pain!!

1. Using the padding (Examples of padding above in materials and supplies), wrap it around the injured area.

1. Place extra padding over bony areas such as joints or shins.

1. Make sure the padding extends ABOVE and BELOW the injury. (e.g., if the injury is on the knee, you are wrapping the padding on the knee as well as the thigh and shin.)

1. Ensure the joints near the injury are well cushioned. You can ensure this by tucking extra padding under the joint, such as a pillow or folded blanket.

Example shown above, RED CIRCLE IS INJURY

1. Using your rigid material of choice (Examples of rigid materials above in materials and supplies), place supports on both sides of the injured limb.

1. Ensure the splint extends past the joints above and below the injury. (e.g., if the injury is on the forearm, your splint will extend past your elbow joint and wrist joint)

1. Hold the limb steady while placing the splint.

1. Support the limb without causing pain or movement.

1. Stop and readjust if the person experiences increased pain.

Example shown above, RED CIRCLE IS INJURY

1. Use your Fastener of choice. (Examples of fasteners above in materials and supplies)

1. Start securing away from the injury and then move closer. Avoid placing the fastener directly over the injury, especially if it is a joint injury. (e.g if the injury is a knee starting at the thigh and ankle, and then moving closer in)

1. Wrap the fastener all the way around the limb, tight enough to secure the splint to the injury, but not too tight that it cuts off circulation or is uncomfortable. (You should be able to slide one finger under your fastener.)

Example shown above, RED CIRCLE IS INJURY

1. You must check circulation after the splint is secured!

1. Start by looking at the skin colour below the injury (if the injury is in the arm, then your hand/fingers). Take note of the colour if possible, you are looking to see if the skin colour is pale, blue, excessive redness, or generally clammy looking.

For example, this foot in the image above is not broken, but has bad circulation.

1. Place your hand or fingers on the skin to feel the temperature and take note if possible. You are feeling whether or not the skin is cold or clammy.

1. Ask the injured person if they feel any numbness or tingling in the area. You can lightly squeeze or pinch to check.

1. For a more accurate check, if fingers and toes are available, you may pinch the tip of the finger or toe and wait for the colour to come back. This should take no more than 2 seconds. An example is shown in the image above.

1. Loosen the fastener immediately if circulation is affected.

!!IF CIRCULATION IS CLEARLY EFFECTED CALL 911!!

1. If EMS has not been contacted already, or your paitients conditions suddennly changes to what was discussed in step 1 of when to call for help, call 911.

1. If possible, you may find a trusted adult or yourself to drive paitient to the hospital; they must be willing to go with you, you can not force them.

This splint is FIRST AID ONLY and is NOT a replacement for professional medical care.

DO NOT use this splint for:

1. Head, neck, or spinal injuries
2. Internal injuries
3. Rib, chest, or abdominal injuries

DO NOT attempt to realign or straighten a limb that appears deformed or causes severe pain.

DO NOT splint over an open fracture where bone fragments are sticking out of the skin; stabilize only, and call 911.

ALWAYS control severe bleeding before applying the splint.

NEVER apply fasteners so tight that circulation is cut off.

CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY IF:

1. Circulation is not restored
2. Pain increases
3. The person becomes dizzy, confused, or unresponsive
4. There is uncontrolled bleeding
5. There is numbness or tingling below the injury
6. The situation is unsafe

When in doubt, call 911. It’s always better safe than sorry.

Resources Used:

Canadian Standard First Aid Manual

https://cdn.redcross.ca/prodmedia/crc/pdf/First-Aid-and-CPR-2017_digital.pdf

Article and resource about homemade splints:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000040.htm

Lifesaving Society First Aid Instructors Manual (Paid):

Lifesaving Society. (n.d.). Canadian First Aid Manual [Manual]. Lifesaving Society. Available from https://lifeguarddepot.com/canadian-first-aid-manual-english-21-1401-10