Suspect spinal injury when the patron has been exposed to significant physical force, such as a car accident, diving head first into the shallow end of the pool or a fall from greater than the person's height.
Primary Goal: keep person still in order to prevent further injury
Do not move patron if he or she is in a safe place.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Altered mental status
- Obvious injury to head, neck or back
- Numbness, tingling, burning or loss of sensation in hands, fingers or toes
- Spinal pain, pressure, tenderness
- Multiple injuries such as open or closed fractures
- Weakness or paralysis in any part of the body
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
FIRST AID
- Assess, Alert, and Attend to life-threatening injuries
- If patron is responsive, tell him/ her not to move
- Manually stabilize by putting hands on both sides of the patrons head
- Comfort, calm and reassure the patron
- Do not move or ask the the patron to move in order to “See what hurts”
- Do not bend, manipulate, twist, or lift patron’s head or body
- Do not remove a helmet if spinal injury is suspected
If the patron is unresponsive, is lying flat on his/ her back, and has debris/ blood/ secretions in his or her mouth or you must leave the patron to go get help, put the patient in recovery position.
