Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

8 Muscle, Bone and Joint Injuries

Complications Complications with muscle, joint, and bone injury can extend beyond the injured bone or joint itself. With the MOI, the greater the strength of force, the greater the chance additional injury will have occurred. Any injury to a bone will probably involve bleeding. The sharp ends of a fractured bone can damage arteries, veins, muscle or nerves, and the broken ends can penetrate the skin, causing an open fracture.

Muscle, Bone and Joint injury Severity scale Minor

• Minor sprains • Dislocated fingers or toes

Moderate • Open fractures of the fingers or toes • Non-displaced long bone (arm, leg) fractures • Bad sprains to major joint sprains Serious

• Non-displaced pelvic fractures • Displaced long bone fractures • Multiple hand or foot fractures

• Open long bone fractures • Dislocation of major joints • Blood vessel damage, poor perfusion below the injury

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