Fractures
A fracture (traumatic break in a bony structure) can be diagnosed with certainty if one of the following is present:
- Abnormal movement in the bone components.
- Abnormal position of part of the body.
- Protrusion of the tip of a bone through the skin.
A fracture is also always accompanied by soft tissue damage. It is often not easy to distinguish between a contusion, sprain, or fracture based on the history-taking and the physical examination.
First Aid
When administering first aid, if in doubt, the injury should be treated as if it were a fracture. The traumatised body part should be protected as carefully as possible to prevent further damage. In concrete terms this means:
- Support.
- Cool if necessary.
- Only apply a pressure bandage if the normal anatomical proportions are intact.
- Apply a Plaster of Paris splint, particularly if there is some dislocation (high degree of urgency) or if the time (evening or night-time) and/or location (hard to reach by specialised services) or other circumstances make this necessary.
Secondary care depends on the further diagnostic work-up, where x-ray pictures remain the most important component.