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The lower limbs are part of the musculoskeletal system of the human body, which accounts for a significant part of all physical activity every day, as well as the impact of dangerous traumatic factors. Bruises, bruises, dislocations, fractures, sprains, inflammation and tissue ruptures – any person can experience this, even those who are extremely far from sports or hard physical work.
Injury to the legs usually does not pose a serious threat to human life, but can cause disability, loss of the ability to move independently and serve oneself in everyday life.
What are the dangers of injury
Of course, for every person the ability to walk, run, move firmly and confidently on their own feet is very valuable and important. If a person loses mobility, he cannot live a full life, perform his usual household chores, work in positions that require certain physical activity.
Injuries to the legs and pelvic area are one of the reasons that can contribute to the disability of a person and the loss of his ability to walk, move, run. Injuries of the lower extremities are called states arising due to mechanical impact, when the integrity of muscles, ligaments, joints, bones, skin is violated, when parts of the articular apparatus change their location and cannot interact normally.
Lesions of the lower extremities, in general, are divided into two groups – closed and open. The former represent the greatest danger for a person, since they cannot be seen and assessed by visual inspection – the damage is under the intact skin. It can be tissue ruptures, fractures, dislocations, less often – crushing of muscles and ligaments.
Open wounds and injuries mean that the skin at the site of injury is also torn, cut or crushed, and all internal injuries can be seen. This principle of division is especially relevant for those who find themselves in a situation where it is necessary to provide first aid to victims during accidents, natural disasters, accidents, since even the absence of obvious external signs of damage is not a guarantee that everything is in order with a person.
What are lower limb injuries? All of them are differentiated according to the nature of the disturbance they cause in the body.
The most common:
- bruises and bruises;
- dislocations;
- fractures;
- breaks and stretching;
- crushing of tissues;
- meniscus tear.
Characteristics of injuries of the lower extremities
A bruise, accompanied by the appearance of edema, bruising and pain, is considered the most benign of all types of injuries to the lower extremities. It can occur after a fall or a sharp blow. In this case, the integrity of the vessels in the skin is violated, a bruise appears, which changes its color over time. In addition, bruising of soft tissues can accompany more dangerous injuries – fractures, ruptures.
Dislocation of the joint is a pathological condition in which parts of the joint, most often the articular head, leave their usual “location”, for example, the head goes beyond the acetabulum.
Such injuries occur due to the fact that a person makes a sharp and atypical movement that is beyond the functionality of the joint, as well as due to impact and heavy lifting.
A bone fracture is the appearance of a crack or fracture in it, which may be accompanied by the distribution of bone fragments in the wound. Fractures are closed and open – in the first case, the skin remains intact, and in the second, the skin is cut or cut by protruding bone fragments or as a result of mechanical impact. A person feels severe pain, the fracture site swells, blood circulation is disturbed. It becomes extremely difficult to move and step on a sore leg due to pain.
Tears and sprains of tissues, ligaments, muscles occur due to sudden forced movements that exceed the ability of the joint to withstand loads. Athletes often face such injuries, but ordinary people are not immune from painful and dangerous damage. Especially it is promoted by excessive overloads, classes in the gym without observing the rules for performing exercises and safety precautions.
Crushing of tissues occurs as a result of a strong blow – as a result, their normal structure and viability, blood circulation and metabolic processes are disrupted. Such wounds are dangerous with a high probability of developing infection and inflammation, they heal for a long time and poorly.
The meniscus is a structural element of the articular apparatus, which serves to stabilize its constituent parts. The most common cause of a meniscus tear is sports. However, not only athletes can face it – older people with arthrosis also often have a rupture of this articular element. This condition is dangerous for a person, as it causes an inflammatory process, fever, blockade of the joint, severe pain, and impaired mobility.
What to do with injuries
Hip dislocations are mainly characteristic of young and middle-aged people. In the elderly, in similar situations, a fracture of the neck of the femoral bone occurs. Dislocation can be determined by the unnatural position of the limb, in addition, if the dislocation is severe, it can be felt by palpation. The affected person has an inability to carry out active movements, at the same time, passive motor activity is limited, and the joint reacts to it with springy resistance.
First aid for hip dislocation has the following algorithm:
- the victim needs to be examined, his general condition and the presence of other injuries assessed;
- if a person is bleeding, there is no pulse and respiratory activity, it is necessary to carry out appropriate resuscitation measures;
- if a person is conscious, first of all, he must be carefully laid on his back on a flat, hard surface;
- to transport the patient to a medical facility, it is imperative to immobilize the damaged joint – for this, splints and special bandages are applied;
- adjusting the dislocation on your own is strictly prohibited.
Fractures of the femoral neck are most common in women and the elderly. The affected person is pierced by severe pain, which intensifies when trying to move the leg in the thigh area. In this case, the leg is turned outward, as it were. The area of the hip joint responds with pain on palpation. Fractures of this type can have different varieties, depending on the location of the damage to the bone.
After the initial examination of the affected person, it is necessary to carry out transport immobilization of the fracture site by applying a bandage or splint.
Any changes in the position of the bone, traction, reduction of fragments or their removal from the wound are unacceptable on their own.
Another type of fracture is pertrochanteric fractures of the femur, which occur due to a fall on the side and a strong blow to the greater trochanter. The injured leg lies completely on the plane under the diseased outer surface, if he lies on his back. In this case, tires (staircase or Dieterichs tire) are applied to the damaged area – so the patient can be transported to a medical facility.
Fractures of the diaphysis and condyles of the femur cause violent eversion of the limb in unnatural positions associated with a strong and sharp mechanical impact. Bruising of the knee joint occurs as a result of a fall on the knee, or a strong blow to it with heavy objects. The affected person develops swelling, pain, and difficulty walking. As a first aid, a fixing bandage and cold are applied to the patient. Medical care for damage to the meniscus, including first aid, is directly related to the application of bandages to the knee joint – in this way, it is possible to achieve its immobilization.
In addition to the fact that bandages are applied to the lower extremities as a first aid measure to immobilize the injury site, they can also be used as a treatment prescribed by a doctor after diagnosis and diagnosis. Bandages also help to avoid infection of the wound if they are made in compliance with the requirements of sterility. Dressing material impregnated with therapeutic ointments and preparations accelerates wound healing and reduces swelling.
Types of dressings used for the lower extremities
The main types of dressings can be applied to individual parts of the leg, or to the entire limb as a whole.
If it is necessary to bandage only the thumb, the bandage is applied in a spiral stroke. Fixing tours bypass the ankle in a circle in the ankle joint. Next, the bandage is carried along the back of the foot to the distal phalanx of the first toe. From this place, the finger is covered with spiral tours to the base, and the bandage is returned through the rear of the foot to the ankle joint, where the bandage is fixed in a circular motion.
Spike bandage on the finger is used less frequently. It is superimposed similarly to the technique of imposing on the finger of the hand. If it is necessary to bandage all fingers, the big one is bandaged separately, and the rest are closed together with the foot.
The bandage for the whole foot begins with a circular motion of the bandage in the ankle area. The foot is circled several times on the sides, overlapping the heel and toes. Such moves should not be too tight so as not to cause bending of the fingers. Further, from the fingertips, the foot is bandaged in a spiral or spicate.
Bandaging of the foot without fingers begins from the outside of the foot, if it is the right leg, from the inside – if the left leg is affected. A bandage is held along the edge of the foot from the heel to the toes to the base of the fingers. On the back of the foot, the bandage is directed to the inner edge of the foot, where it makes a circular motion to the sole. Then the bandage returns to the back surface, obliquely crossing the previous layer of the bandage. After crossing, the bandage is directed along the inner edge of the foot, applying it as low as possible to the heel. The bandage bypasses it from behind, and then the moves are repeated, with each next round being placed above the previous one. Crossings are superimposed gradually closer to the ankle joint. Locking moves are circled around the ankle.
A cruciate bandage fixes the ankle joint. The bandage fixes around the shin, in an oblique direction they lead along the back of the foot, make a semicircular move on the sole of the foot. Then the bandage returns to the dorsum of the foot and intersects with the previous course of the bandage. This 8-shaped move is repeated and gradually brought to the base of the foot. There the bandage is fixed in a circular motion.
The heel bandage, or turtle bandage, begins with circular heel moves. Further rounds pass above and below the first round. Their strengthening occurs in an oblique course along the lateral surface of the heel, going from back to front with the transition to the sole and the back of the foot, as well as to the ankle joint and down to the foot. Crossings are made on the back of the fold.
A tortoiseshell bandage is applied to the knee joint in a bent state of the joint. It can be carried out according to the convergent and divergent scheme. The diverging bandage begins with a circular motion in the middle of the joint. Further moves are carried out above and below the first, while each next one diverges more and more, gradually covering the entire joint. The crossing of the moves occurs in the region of the popliteal cavity. Fixing tours are carried out around the thigh.
The tortoiseshell bandage begins with tours above and below the joint that criss-cross in the popliteal cavity. Each next move converges closer to the center of the joint. The fixing move is carried out at the level of the middle of the joint.
A spiral or circular bandage is applied to the thigh. In order to ensure their greatest fixation, cleol is used, and several eight-shaped tours are made through the hip joint to the abdomen and pelvis.
Spike bandage is relevant for immobilization of the hip joint. The patient needs to raise the pelvis, resting it on a healthy leg, or placing a stand under the sacrum. The sore leg must be straightened, otherwise the bandage, when aligning the leg, will squeeze the neurovascular bundle in the groin, which will cause the affected person to feel pain.
Returning dressings may be applied to the stump, covering the end and base of the stump itself.
Bandaging of the lower extremities is not only a first aid measure for victims with leg injuries (joints, bones, ligaments, muscles), but can also be used further, to treat the victim. Bandaging can be done in different ways, depending on the types of dressings and injuries – spike-shaped and spiral, kerchief and contour, as well as compression techniques. The application of plaster casts and splints is a complex medical manipulation that can only be performed by a traumatologist in order to accelerate the healing of injuries, while the application of primary dressings can be an element of first aid for victims of accidents, accidents and falls.