First Aid & Emergencies

Call 911 NOW if you are having:

Chest Pain
Difficulty Breathing
Severe Bleeding

Sudden Weakness or Numbness
A Medical Emergency

Font Size

Using a Splint

A splint may be a good short-term treatment for any painful injury. Using a splint helps keep an injury from moving. This may help prevent further injury until you can see your doctor.

Position the splint so the injured limb cannot bend. A good general rule to follow is to splint from a joint above the injury to a joint below it. For example, splint an injured forearm from above the elbow to below the wrist.

Recommended Related to First Aid

Insect Bites and Stings (Children)

Has been bitten or stung and has sudden hives, swelling in the face, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or fainting Had a serious allergic reaction to an insect bite or sting before

Read the Insect Bites and Stings (Children) article > >

There are two ways to splint an injury:

Tie the injured part to a stiff object, such as rolled-up newspapers or magazines, a stick, or a cane. You can use a rope, belt, or tape as a tie.
Fasten it (buddy-tape) to some other part of the body. For example, wrap an injured arm to your chest.

When splinting an injury, make sure that you do not tie the splint too tight. Your splint may be too tight if you have:

Numbness or tingling.
Increased pain.
Pale, cold skin below the splint.
Increased swelling below where the splint is tied.

These splinting methods are short-term first aid measures until a doctor can check the injury.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Last Revised	July 28, 2010

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: July 28, 2010

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.