THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606270208
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 38 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: To Your Health
SOURCE: Jack Dempsey
LENGTH: 82 lines
There are 206 bones in the body and they break at least as often on vacation as they do at home. That sends a steady stream of unhappy campers to the islands' medical centers.
Unlike other maladies such as mild insect bites and slight overdoses of sun, no fracture is mild or slight enough to be treated with home remedies. All cases require medical attention.
Also, the causes of fractures are so diverse and unintentional that no one or two preventive measures will dramatically reduce your risk. Most fractures just result from normal, active living and unpremeditated carelessness.
The less serious fractures, usually in the limbs, can be managed easily, according to Dr. Ellyn Meshel, staff physician at the Outer Banks Medical Center.
The symptoms of a simple fracture following trauma (external impact) are pain, swelling, sometimes discoloration and sometimes visible deformity. The immediate responses should be immobilization and elevation.
Immobilization is intended to reduce the risk of further damage to the bone or to the surrounding blood vessels and tissue. Probably everyone knows about slings and padded, rigid splints.
Many don't know, however, that nearly anything helps a little. For example, a rolled up newspaper tied securely, but not too tightly, around an injured wrist both immobilizes the area to some degree and buffers against bumps.
Elevating the injured area above the heart slows circulation to the area, thereby reducing swelling and the pain it causes. Elevating lower limbs generally requires the injured person to lie down with legs propped up on something soft like a pillow.
Ice or cold packs also reduce swelling and are particularly useful during car travel when elevation may be difficult.
When you arrive at the nearest medical center, expect an X-ray in most cases and an examination to assess associated problems such as dislocations, sprains and internal bleeding.
Treatment usually consists of realigning the fracture, immobilizing the site with a cast or other means, and advising the patient on the recovery process.
Recovery time varies from weeks to months depending on the nature of the fracture and the recuperative abilities of the patient. The end of the recovery process may involve physical therapy to restore lost mobility. Usually, recovery is complete.
More serious fractures require special consideration and immediate medical care. Have someone call 911 for Emergency Medical Services while you attend the injured person.
Dr. Meshel emphasized that bleeding at the fracture site may be as serious as the fracture itself since excessive blood loss may send the person into shock. Apply pressure to the source of the bleeding to help the body's natural reflexes stop it.
And there's one hard and fast rule: Don't move a person with injuries to the neck, spine or hip.
Permanent injury, even paralysis, may result. Leave that to trained EMS technicians.
Don't give the injured person anything to eat or drink since that may delay the use of general anesthesia at the medical center or hospital, if needed.
Obtain medical care especially quickly for persons with multiple injuries, as in an auto crash. Unseen internal bleeding and/or burns, for instance, may send the patient into life-threatening shock.
Fortunately, however, most fractures are not the serious kind, but even minor fractures take a toll of mental health. Lingering pain, the inconvenience of immobility, the boredom of inactivity and the disappointment of a vacation lost - they understandably may create depression or irritability or even rebellion.
Rebellious youngsters may produce problems for themselves by ignoring medical advice. If they insist on jumping around in the surf or pool anyhow, soaking the cast means replacing the cast. And more physical trauma can only make the fracture worse.
Finally, it's difficult to resist the temptation to poke something into the cast to relieve agonizing itching. Instead, try a cool hair dryer or pour some medicated powder into the cast.
Benadryl taken orally in the evening helps provide an itchless sleep.
It's difficult for active people to accept, but only time and patience and inactivity heal the injury. MEMO: Jack Dempsey has a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins
University and has published two books on health care. His columns are
based on interviews with area health care providers. by CNB