By L. Finneran
Published: April 1, 2008
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With longer days and warmer weather, it’s a great time of year to be outside.And a great time of year to get injured while you’re doing it. Older children may be able to take care of their own injuries – if you’re at work or otherwise unavailable. Teach them the following pointers, offered up by Dexter Barkley, Health and Safety Training Specialist with the American Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia, and they’ll quickly be on the road to recovery.

Bleeding 

Whether the bleeding is light or heavy, the treatment is the same: “The most important thing is to get something clean and apply direct pressure,” Barkley said. And don’t worry about a bandage at first. “It’s the direct pressure that controls the bleeding, not the wrap or bandage,” Barkley said. Light bleeding, something superficial like a scrape, paper cut or nosebleed, should stop after a couple of minutes of direct pressure. At that point it’s safe to gently clean the area and apply a clean bandage. When should you find an adult or call 911? If the bleeding doesn’t stop with direct pressure, or if the blood is spurting, get help. You should also seek medical attention if the cut is very deep, the edges are widely separated or the bleeding is from an animal bite.

Burns

There are three types of burns: first degree, second degree and third degree. In a first-degree burn, the top layer of the skin is red. “The main two things are cool and cover,” Barkley said. Flush the wound with large amounts of cool – not cold – water. And never put ice on a burn.  “Ice is too drastic, there’s too much change in temperature,” Barkley said. After flushing a first-degree burn, drape the skin lightly to prevent infection. When should you find an adult or call 911? Seek medical attention for all second- and third-degree burns. In a second-degree burn the skin blisters and may leak fluid. A third-degree burn goes all the way through the skin to the fatty tissue below. You should also get help if the burn is over more than one part of the body, it’s on a child under the age of five or if it’s causing problems breathing.

Choking

If someone has something caught in their throat but they are able to speak or cough, the best thing to do is leave them alone and let them continue to cough, which will likely dislodge the object. However, if they are not able to speak or cough that means their airway is completely blocked and it needs to be opened right way. First, call for help – holler at someone else on the playground or send another friend to call 911.  Then give them five back blows – have them lean forward and hit them with the heel of your hand between the shoulder blades.  If they still can’t breathe, stand them back up and stand behind them. Make a fist with one hand, wrap your other hand around the first and put your thumbs just above their belly button and quickly pull your hands upward toward you. This is called an abdominal thrust or the Heimlich Maneuver. Continue until help arrives. When should you find an adult or call 911? If someone is able to speak or cough, find someone else to help in case they get worse. Call 911 or ask someone else to if the patient can’t speak or cough.

Head injury

“Always differ to a higher authority with a head injury.” Barkley said. “It can be more serious than you know. There could be bruising, internal bleeding, you just don’t know.” Barkley said if a bruise is forming, you can treat the bruise with ice to keep the swelling down while you wait for help.  When should you find an adult or call 911? Right away.

Sprain, strain or broken bone

What’s the difference? Stretching or partially tearing a ligament (the tissue that connects bones to one another) is called a sprain. Do the same thing to a tendon (the tissue that connects the bones to the muscles) and it’s a strain. Neither are very serious and can be treated with ice and wrapping, but since you may not know if it’s a strain or sprain or a more serious broken bone, it’s best to get help to be sure what you are dealing with. “One of the most common mistakes people make is they want to quickly get up and test it out,” Barkely said. Instead, you should immobilize the injury. “I tell people to just sit still.”  When should you find an adult or call 911? Right away. If the bone is broken, you could do more damage moving it around and treating it like a sprain or strain.

 

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