Musculoskeletal Injuries

Musculoskeletal injuries involve muscles, bones and joints. In this lesson, we will look at how to identify a muscle, bone or joint injury.

To review the function of each of these components of the musculoskeletal system, please review the Body Systems module.

Injuries to the musculoskeletal system can be classified according to the body structures that are damaged. Some injuries may involve more than one structure.

Four Basic Types of Musculoskeletal Injuries

Common Signals of Musculoskeletal Injuries

Signals of a serious injury include the following:

Obvious deformity
Inability to move or use the affected body part
Swelling, discoloration and moderate to severe pain or discomfort
Protruding bone fragments
Victim heard or felt a snap or popping sound at the time of injury
Victim feels like the bones are grating
Tingling, cold, or bluish skin below the injury
Loss of sensation or circulation in an extremity
The cause of the injury may suggest that it could be severe

Care for Musculoskeletal Injuries

Many musculoskeletal injuries are minor and can be treated with simple first aid without requiring Emergency services. The treatment for any muscle, bone or joint injury follows the simple acronym "RICE".

Always remember to take steps to minimize shock and comfort and reassure the victim.

Please watch the video below from ProCPR that describes this process.

You will notice that the RICE Method described in this video stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This is a slight variation from the American Red Cross suggested guidelines for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. However, the overall goal remains the same; to prevent swelling and further injury.

video from http://advanced.profirstaid.com/en/training_video/musculoskeletal-injuries, Participants manual from http://www.editiondigital.net/publication/?i=64159

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