Musculoskeletal Injury Management Flashcards

A football player is hit directly on the outer thigh and develops a large, firm, painful bruise. This injury is most likely a:

Answer: Contusion (charley horse)

A direct blow to the thigh causes a muscle contusion (charley horse), resulting in localized bleeding within the muscle tissue.

When should you NOT apply compression to a musculoskeletal injury?

Answer: When there is a suspected fracture with significant deformity or bone protrusion

Compression should be avoided over open wounds, suspected fractures with deformity, or if it causes increased pain or circulation changes.

A patient has fallen and reports neck pain but no neurological symptoms. Before EMS arrives, you should:

Answer: Instruct the patient to stay still and manually stabilize the head and neck in line with the spine

Manual inline stabilization of the cervical spine is the safest method for a first aider to protect a potentially injured spine until EMS arrives.

A gymnast falls and injures their wrist. There is tenderness in the 'anatomical snuffbox' (base of thumb). This finding strongly suggests:

Answer: Scaphoid fracture

Anatomical snuffbox tenderness after a FOOSH injury is the classic sign of a scaphoid fracture, which requires X-ray or MRI to confirm.

Which of the following is the MOST important reason to remove rings and bracelets from an injured hand or wrist immediately after the injury?

Answer: Swelling can make them impossible to remove later, cutting off circulation

Rapid swelling after a hand or wrist injury can cause rings and bracelets to act as tourniquets, compromising distal circulation.

A young child is carried in by a parent who reports the child cried out suddenly and now refuses to use their right arm, which hangs limply. There is no reported trauma. This presentation is classic for:

Answer: Nursemaid's elbow (radial head subluxation)

Nursemaid's elbow occurs when the radial head slips out of the annular ligament, typically after a child is pulled or lifted by the hand, causing a limp, painful arm.

After providing first aid for a musculoskeletal injury, when should you advise the patient to seek immediate medical attention?

Answer: If there is significant deformity, numbness, severe swelling, or inability to bear weight

Deformity, neurovascular compromise, severe swelling, or inability to weight-bear are red-flag signs indicating a potentially serious injury requiring emergency evaluation.