Just this past week, while working with a school group in a remote rural location, a little girl, while running, tripped in a ditch and really hurt her leg. She over extended her knee, and we all know, that hurts! She is a child who seldom complains about any injury, and she was down, crying. She said she couldn’t move her knee, and any movement she made seemed to increase the pain in her knee. We certainly want to call EMS without hesitation when needed. At the same time, a little knowledge can help us make the right decision between when EMS is required and a bit of ice and a hug.
The most common injuries happen as a result of trips and falls. OSHA states that trips and falls cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to car crashes as a cause of accident related deaths. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/walkingworkingsurfaces/. When someone trips and falls, it is important to know what to look for, know what to do do, and know when it’s time to call in the pro’s for emergency help.
After trips and falls, the following should be red flags of serious injury:
- Severe swelling of the limb or joint
- Any deformation in injured area
- Severe pain in the area of the injury
Our patient didn’t have any swelling or deformation of her knee or leg, which was a relief. She was in a lot of pain however. The American Heart Association teaches in CPR and First Aid Classes to perform several steps when trips and falls happen.
These steps are as follows:
- Help stabilize, or keep still, the effected limb
- Apply a cold pack, if using ice, make sure there is cloth or paper towel between the ice and the limb
- Watch for and manage shock if needed
- Reassure the patient and keep them as comfortable as possible
When I approached her, I was sure in my mind I was going to see a bad injury. And if, after ice, stability, reassurance and a few minutes, the pain had continued, we certainly would have called for EMS. But in this case, there wasn’t any deformity in the child’s leg, no swelling, and after several minutes of reassurance and indirect icing, she felt much better. In fact, within 30 minutes she was out playing with the other kids. When someone trips and falls, it is important to know what to look for, and know what to do so you can provide the best care for that first aid situation.