Brief overview
- What does immobilization mean? To cushion or stabilize an injured part of the body in order to prevent or minimize (painful) movements.
- This is how immobilization works: The injured person’s protective posture is supported or stabilized by means of cushioning. Depending on the part of the body affected, these “stabilizers” can be a blanket, a triangular cloth or items of clothing.
- In which cases? In case of bone fractures, joint injuries and, if necessary, snake bites.
- Risks: (Unintentional) movement while padding may aggravate the injury. In the case of skull and spine injuries, be especially careful and avoid any movement of the injured body area.
Caution.
- Bone fractures and joint injuries are difficult for laypersons to distinguish. However, this does not matter for immobilization – the procedure is the same in both cases.
- As a first aider, move the injured body part as little as possible to spare the patient unnecessary pain and not aggravate the injury.
- Cover open fractures with a sterile dressing.
How does immobilization work?
In the event of a fracture or joint injury, the affected person usually intuitively assumes a protective posture in which their pain subsides somewhat. With immobilization, you as a first-aider can support this protective posture and prevent involuntary movements.
This is how you proceed:
- Reassure the affected person and talk to him. Ask where and what pain he is experiencing and in which position the injured body part feels least painful to him.
- Stabilize the injured body part in this position with a soft pad. In the case of a broken leg, for example, this can be a blanket placed around the leg under the foot and held in place (not too tightly) with bandages, triangular towels, etc. For a dislocated shoulder, you can apply a shoulder bandage with a triangular cloth wrapped around the forearm (pass two ends around the neck, right and left, and knot them at the nape of the neck).
- Cover open wounds and fractures with a sterile dressing to prevent infection.
When do I do immobilization?
Immobilization is necessary for several types of injuries:
Bone fractures
Although our bones are extremely robust, they can break when subjected to external force or excessive stress (e.g. during sports). A fracture can be recognized, among other things, by the fact that the affected part of the body is painful and swollen, can be moved in an unusual way or has a malposition. In an open fracture, parts of the bone are also visible – the overlying tissue (skin, muscles, etc.) is severed.
Joint injuries
A joint can pop out of its socket as a result of external force (e.g., impact or traction) – the two joint surfaces separate and do not return to their original position after the force has ceased. Additionally, ligament tears or damage to the joint capsule can occur. Typical symptoms of a joint injury include severe pain on movement as well as pressure, unusual position or mobility of the joint, bruising and swelling.
Snake bites
Instead, in the event of a snake bite, immobilize the affected body part and get the injured person to a doctor (or alert emergency services) as soon as possible.
Risks associated with immobilization
As a first responder, you should always proceed very carefully during immobilization. This is because any (unintentional) movement of the injured body part can cause the patient great pain and possibly aggravate the injury.
You should be particularly careful with spinal and head injuries: In such cases, it is best not to move the patient at all – unless there is a danger to the injured person’s life at the accident site due to the surroundings, for example because the building ceiling above is in danger of collapsing.
