Bone Fracture and Child
Unit 016
Unit managing paediatric illness and injury
Outcome 1
1) Describe the common types of fractures:
The common types of fractures:
A fracture is simply a broken bone. When a bone breaks, the blood vessels, muscles and nerves around the site of the break will also be damaged.
Closed and open fractures:
Fractures can be one of the two main types, closed or open.
Closed fractures:
This is where the skin does not break at the site of the fracture, and is the most common type of fracture
Open fractures:
If an open wound occurs at the site of the fracture that is an open fracture. Sometimes the fractured bone sticks out of the wound. This creates a big risk of infection in the bone.
Young children’s bones are more flexible than adults’ and often a fracture may not break the full bone. This sort of fracture is sometimes referred to as a greenstick fracture.
Dislocation: the separation of a bone a joint can occur easily in children. Never tug or pull on a child’s arm or hand, and never pick up young children by their hands or arms.
2) How to manage a fracture:
When managing a fracture or dislocation, recognise that the child has an injury and call for an ambulance or get the child to hospital. First aid does not involve treating the injury.
It is usually easy to tell if a child has a fracture or dislocation. A child who is older is likely to tell you that their arm or legs hurt. Alternatively look for:
• Deformity – is the injured part in an unnatural position • Open wounds or breaks in the skin • Tenderness • Swelling around the injured area • Loss of power, ability to move • Unnatural position
Ask the child – ‘can you move it?’
Your role of a first aider is to maintain the injured part in the most comfortable position while waiting for the ambulance. A child will usually keep an injured arm or leg very still and will hold an arm close to their body, forming a natural splint.
Unit managing paediatric illness and injury
Outcome 1
1) Describe the common types of fractures:
The common types of fractures:
A fracture is simply a broken bone. When a bone breaks, the blood vessels, muscles and nerves around the site of the break will also be damaged.
Closed and open fractures:
Fractures can be one of the two main types, closed or open.
Closed fractures:
This is where the skin does not break at the site of the fracture, and is the most common type of fracture
Open fractures:
If an open wound occurs at the site of the fracture that is an open fracture. Sometimes the fractured bone sticks out of the wound. This creates a big risk of infection in the bone.
Young children’s bones are more flexible than adults’ and often a fracture may not break the full bone. This sort of fracture is sometimes referred to as a greenstick fracture.
Dislocation: the separation of a bone a joint can occur easily in children. Never tug or pull on a child’s arm or hand, and never pick up young children by their hands or arms.
2) How to manage a fracture:
When managing a fracture or dislocation, recognise that the child has an injury and call for an ambulance or get the child to hospital. First aid does not involve treating the injury.
It is usually easy to tell if a child has a fracture or dislocation. A child who is older is likely to tell you that their arm or legs hurt. Alternatively look for:
• Deformity – is the injured part in an unnatural position • Open wounds or breaks in the skin • Tenderness • Swelling around the injured area • Loss of power, ability to move • Unnatural position
Ask the child – ‘can you move it?’
Your role of a first aider is to maintain the injured part in the most comfortable position while waiting for the ambulance. A child will usually keep an injured arm or leg very still and will hold an arm close to their body, forming a natural splint.