Proper first aid for people with spinal cord injuries

In first aid, people with spinal cord injuries should absolutely not move the victim unless absolutely necessary to avoid further damage to the neck and spine.

In first aid, people with spinal cord injuries should absolutely not move the victim unless absolutely necessary to avoid further damage to the neck and spine, call 911.

Signs of a person with a spinal cord injury

When you see a person with a spinal cord injury, immediately look at the following signs to recognize:

– Neck pain, back pain, pain in the thoracic spine, low back

Injury to the spine: Skin abrasions, swelling, bruising, possible spinal deformities (protrusion or depression)

Numbness or paralysis (reduced or lost movement). Loss of control, weak or even non-moving limbs

- Unusual sensory disturbance, the victim feels the limb is stiff, heavy, burning, ants crawling on the skin, pinching the victim's legs or arms, but the victim does not feel pain

Victims of spinal cord injuries often feel the limb is stiff, heavy, burning, and crawling on the skin

- Low blood pressure

– Abdominal breathing, difficulty breathing

- Urinary incontinence

Severity when the spine is injured

The spine is made up of many vertebrae joined together, inside there is a spinal canal containing the spinal cord. The spine ensures two main functions: mechanical function - the spine is the fulcrum, the "pillar" that bears the weight of the whole body and the nerve function of the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a part of the central nervous system that connects to the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata to govern all motor and sensory functions of the body from the neck down according to the partitions of the spinal cord regions. Because it is a large bone, subjected to high loads, the spine is very susceptible to injury and when injured, it often greatly affects the function of mechanical load as well as nerve function. When the spinal cord has been injured, the possibility of the patient becoming disabled will be very high such as having to be completely mechanically ventilated, quadriplegia in cervical spinal cord injury, paralysis of the lower limbs, requiring a lifelong wheelchair in thoracic spine injury. , lumbar spine. Better maintain a healthy life to always have aWith a healthy skeleton, you will avoid the risk of spinal injury.

Therefore, timely first aid for people with spinal cord injuries is extremely important.

First aid steps for people with spinal cord injuries

– Step 1: Call 911 first

– Step 2: While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, perform a few small operations. Gently place the victim in a supine position, straighten the limbs, avoid flexing the neck, and check that the heart is still beating, the neck pulse, and the health status is ready to be transferred to the hospital.

Step 3: Fix the cervical spine. The cervical spine must be in line with the body axis. You can use 2 sandbags or 2 bricks to insert both ears when the victim is lying down.

When giving first aid to a person with a spinal cord injury, it is necessary to immobilize the victim's cervical spine

– Step 4: Check bleeding wounds to stop bleeding, apply pressure with clothes or rope. With a victim bleeding from the head, first aiders must wrap a bandage around their head to stop the bleeding, but always keep the head still.

– Step 5: Fix broken bones such as femur, forearm with splints, to help relieve pain for the victim.

– Step 6: When the ambulance arrives, move the victim to the nearest hospital by ambulance, car, absolutely do not transport by motorbike; Keep the victim's head in line with the body axis during transport.

Bao Bao