- The aim of this lesson is to learn about first aid treatment for sporting injuries and more serious injuries (Equivalent to UK GCSE Physical Education)
RICE
RICE is the protocol used for the treatment of soft tissue injuries. It stands for:
Rest - Stop playing immediately and take any weight off the injured area
Ice - Apply ice to the injured area. This helps to slow the bleeding and swelling by making the blood vessels constrict
Compression - Using a compression bandage on the area will also help to control swelling. Make sure its not so tight that it cuts off the circulation altogether!
Elevation - Keeping the injured part raised above the heart helps swelling drain away and reduce blood flow to the area
Treatment for other conditions
Hyperthermia
This is where the body temperature rises too high and usually occurs following exercising in a hot climate. Signs of this are a weak pulse and pale, clammy skin. To treat this, lay the athlete down in a cool place and give them a drink before seeking medical advice.
Hypothermia
This is the opposite, where body temperature goes too low (below 35 degrees C). Symptoms include an irregular heart rate, stiff muscles and possible unconsciousness. You must slowly raise the body temperature by removing wet clothing and wrapping in a warm, dry blanket, and giving warm drinks and maybe a warm bath.
Cramp
Cramp is an involuntary contraction of a muscle which can be very painful. It is caused by a lack of blood flow to the muscle, or a lack of salt minerals within the blood. You can treat it by gently stretching and massaging the muscle.
Concussion
This is caused by a knock to the head which can cause dizziness, memory loss, disorientation and sometime unconsciousness. If conscious they should be kept under observation for 24 hours. If unconscious they should be put in the recovery position and an ambulance called.
Stitch
Stitch is caused by a cramp of the diaphragm and is a pain in the side of the abdomen. It usually comes on during hard exercise, especially if you have eaten recently. If this happens, stop and taken some deep breaths until it goes. You can usually resume exercise after a short break
Winding
A blow to the abdomen can cause feelings of difficulty when breathing , pain and nausea. Treat this by stopping exercise, leaning forwards and gently rubbing the area
Shock
Shock is caused by a drop in blood pressure which can be the result of a number of soft tissue injuries, losing blood, concussion etc. Signs are pale, clammy skin, a weak but fast pulse and fast breathing. You need to call an ambulance if this happens and lay them on their back with their legs raised to get the blood flowing to the heart and brain.
Recovery Position
The recovery position is the safest way of laying an unconscious casualty. They should be positioned on their side, with the head tilted back and mouth pointing down so they can't choke on any vomit or their own tongue. Bend the top leg and bring it over in front of the lower leg to keep them stable so you could leave them to get help if on your own.
Serious Injuries
If an athlete is unconscious, the following procedure should be followed using the acronym DRABC:
Danger - Check for danger to you or the casualty, stop play and clear the area
Response - Check to see if you get a response from the casualty. First talk to them and if no response gently shake them. If still no response continue with ABC and get someone to call an ambulance
Airways - Make sure the airway is clear by tilting the head back and looking into the mouth for any obstructions such as their tongue, or vomit. Remove any obstructions and loosen any tight clothing
Breathing - Check to see if they are breathing. You can do this by watching their chest or putting your cheek by their mouth to feel their breath
Circulation - Check to see if they have a pulse (either the carotid pulse or radial pulse) which shows their heart is beating
Depending on what you find whilst performing the DRABC, take the following action:
If they are breathing - put them in the recovery position (see above)
If there's a pulse but they are not breathing - Give mouth-to-mouth ventilation until breathing resumes or the ambulance arrives. If they start breathing, put them in the recovery position and keep checking their breathing.
If there's no pulse - Give mouth-to-mouth ventilation with cardiac massage to keep oxygenated blood flowing around the body. Continue until an ambulance arrives
Mouth-to-mouth ventilation
The aim of this is to breathe for the casualty, to make sure their blood contains enough oxygen to keep them alive.
- Tilt their head back, open their mouth and pinch their nose shut
- Put your mouth over theirs and breathe out quite forcefully - you should see their chest rise as their lungs inflate
- Take your mouth away until the chest has gone down
- In the meantime take another deep breath and repeat the process
Cardiac Massage
This involves trying to compress the heart to squeeze blood out of it and around the body. You should only do this if there is no pulse.
- First do 2 breaths of mouth-to-mouth
- Use both hands together, on the centre of the chest to push down with your body weight, keeping the arms straight
- Repeat this 30 times, at a pace of just faster than 1 a second
- After 30, do another 2 breaths and repeat the cycle
Doing this won't start the heart again, that only happens on tele! This just keeps the blood flowing for them, until the ambulance arrives and they can use a defibrillator to try to restart the heart.
Mouth-to-mouth and cardiac massage are called CPR when performed together. If there are two people present, one of you should do the breathing and the other should do the cardiac massage. |
