Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

8 Muscle, Bone and Joint Injuries

4. Again on a count of three, maintaining spinal motion restriction with the body as shown, carefully lower the patient back to the ground. Continue to support the head and neck until medical help takes over.

Spinal backboards and scoop stretchers Spinal and pelvic injury require special consideration when lifting and moving the patient. Spine boards are not a stretcher, although they may serve to extricate a patient. A spine board is a rigid piece of wood or plastic, typically 185cm (6ft) or more in length. Backboards are equipped with foam blocks for the head and neck, webbing straps to secure the patient, and cutouts along the edges for the straps and for hand-holds. However, spinal boards have fallen out of favour based on recent evidence of soft tissue sores. Training is required in the proper use of a backboard for moving or extricating a patient from a hazard. Spine Board

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Use additional people as available to help steady and roll the patient’s legs and feet.

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