Introduction: How to Splint a Broken Leg or an Ankle
Step 1: Materials
To splint a foot you can use branches, boards, layers of cardboard, a foam sleeping pad or in this case a pillow. To wrap the splint you can use bandannas; torn shirts, pants, tape or other pieces if clothing.
Step 2: Safety Tips
If the person is in a dangerous setting, you will need to move to person to a safer spot, but if he/she is not, splinting is required before moving the person to prevent the injury to get worse. If the person complains about anything of the splint, you should release it quickly and re wrap it. The foot should be left at a right angle in the splint to immobilize the ankle. If when assessing the foot, neither of them work. It would be better to not doing anything further, because it will make the injury worse. Just call for help.
Step 3: Asses the Foot
Assess circulation by feeling the temperature of the foot. Compare the temperature of the injured foot to the temperature of the uninjured foot. Assess the sensation of the foot by touching a toe and asking the victim to identify which toe is being touched. Then have the victim wiggle the toes on the injured foot.
Step 4: Begin the Splinting
This is where you position the pillow under the injured foot. You have to make sure the pillow reaches from the lower leg to the foot, it's important to immobilize the bones above and below the injury.
Step 5: Wrap the Pillow
In this step you will wrap the pillow around the ankle, then you tape above and below the ankle injury. Make sure not to wrap it to tight.
Step 6: Asses the Foot Again
Once you have immobilized with pillow re-assess the function if the foot, if there's a difference in the temperatures of the foot you might have done something wrong in the splint. And you will need to try it again, but if it happens again, it would be safer to just leave it, and call for help.