Suspected broken bone: keep still and support
Severe pain, swelling, an arm or leg in an odd position – that can be a broken bone. As a lay person you do not have to set or splint anything: what matters is not moving the area, supporting it in the position you find it, covering an open wound, calling the emergency number and keeping the person warm. Here you learn these steps and what to watch for if a back injury is suspected.
- Until the emergency services arrive
Explained simply
When a bone is broken, it hurts a lot, the area swells, and sometimes an arm or leg looks crooked.
You do not have to straighten anything. What matters is: do not move it, support the area with clothes or blankets the way it lies, and call the emergency number.
Cover the person up warmly and stay with them until the emergency services arrive.
How it works
The ends of a broken bone are sharp. If they move, they can injure blood vessels, nerves and skin. Keeping still protects against this and eases the pain.
Shock happens when the circulation no longer carries enough blood, for example through blood loss or severe pain. Warmth, calm and care help.
What matters
Support in the position in which you find the person.
Cover open wounds loosely and cleanly.
Do not let them stand up or walk, nothing to eat or drink.
Safety: what to watch out for
After a fall from a height or with back pain and tingling in arms or legs: do not move the person except in acute danger.
Watch for signs of shock: pale, cold, damp skin, restlessness, drowsiness.
A first-aid course with the Red Cross or another aid organisation shows you all of this in practice. In an emergency: 112 (in Austria also 144).
Step by step
- 1
Self-protection and emergency call
Secure the scene, call the emergency number. The person stays lying or sitting where they are if there is no danger.
- 2
Do not move it
Tell the person not to move the injured arm or leg. Do not straighten or set anything.
Never straighten.
- 3
Support in the position found
Pad all round the injured body part with rolled clothing, blankets or a backpack so it cannot slip away.
- 4
Cover an open wound
If the skin is broken or bone is showing, cover the area loosely with a sterile dressing, without pressure on the bone.
- 5
Keep warm and reassure
Cover the person with an emergency blanket or jacket, also from below against cold ground, and talk to them calmly.
- 6
Watch until help arrives
Watch for signs of shock such as pale, cold, damp skin, restlessness or drowsiness and tell the emergency services if anything changes.
Common mistakes
- Straightening or setting the bone
- Letting the person stand or walk without need
- Giving food or drink
- Cooling down on cold ground
- Sitting up a person after a fall from a height
Quick view
Materials
Emergency blanket
Against cooling down
Tears easily once punctured; short-term shelter only.
Conductive – keep away from power lines.
Sterile dressings and bandages
For an open wound
Open sterile packaging only immediately before use; observe the expiry date.
Dry spare clothing
Rolled clothing or blankets for support
Carry it in waterproof packaging – wet clothing barely insulates.
Disposable gloves
Consider latex allergies – prefer latex-free gloves (e.g. nitrile).
Suitable for
- Suspected fracture of an arm, leg, hand or foot
- Until the emergency services arrive
Not suitable for
- Setting or straightening – never
- Suspected spinal injury with no danger at the scene: do not move the person
Prerequisites
- The accident scene is safe
- An emergency call is possible
Safety
- This text does not replace a first-aid course. First aid is learned through hands-on practice under instruction. In an emergency always call professional help – via the local emergency number (112 in the EU) – and follow the dispatcher's instructions.
- Do not give the injured person anything to eat or drink – they may need surgery.
How it works
If a broken bone moves, the sharp ends can injure vessels, nerves and skin, and the pain gets worse. That is why you keep the area as still as possible. The person often finds the position that hurts least – you just support that position. Warmth and calm help prevent shock.
Advantages
- Simple and without special material
- Prevents further injury
Disadvantages
- Hard on everyone with a long wait
Deep knowledge
Background
First-aid guidelines today advise lay people not to straighten fractures but to keep them still in the position found and to call the emergency services. The emergency services bring splints and positioning aids.
Variants
- Far from any road
- In the mountains or forest, rescue often comes by helicopter or mountain rescue. Stay with the injured person, keep them warm and make yourselves visible. Anyone who is often off the beaten track learns more on an outdoor first-aid course.
- Arm
- With an injured arm the person often holds it against the body with the other hand. A piece of clothing as padding between arm and body can make this easier.
Common mistakes
- Straightening or setting the bone
- Letting the person stand or walk without need
- Giving food or drink
- Cooling down on cold ground
- Sitting up a person after a fall from a height
Limits and risks
- Does not replace a first-aid course
- No splinting technique
- No pain medication
Material alternatives
Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.
- Sterile dressings and bandages
- Cotton cloth / T-shirt (Removes coarse particles only – no disinfection.), Mosquito net (Flammable – keep away from flames.), Fine cloth or muslin net against flies (Keep clean and dry; do not hang it over the flames.)
- Dry spare clothing
- Sleeping pad, Dry leaves, grass or conifer boughs (Collect only where allowed; no protected plants. Check for ticks and insects.), Backpack, Wool blanket / duvet (Keep away from candles, stoves and heaters.), Insulated cool box (Keeps cold only for a limited time; without ice packs or ice it is not a fridge.), Sleeping bag (Do not store compressed long-term; do not pack away damp.), Newspaper and cardboard (Flammable – keep away from candles, stoves, heaters and embers.), Insulated cooking box (hay box, thermal cooker) (Never put open flame or embers inside – only the hot, closed pot.), Long-stemmed thatch (reed, grass, rushes) (Extremely flammable – no open fire and no sparks nearby.), Pot insulation (pot cosy, beanie or fleece jacket) (Only around a pot that is no longer on the stove – fabric catches fire at the flame.)
Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.
Sources (3)
- European Resuscitation Council – Resuscitation (journal) (2025): European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2025: First Aid · Do not straighten fractures, keep still, emergency services
- Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz: Einer Person helfen, die eine Knochen- oder Gelenkverletzung hat · Bone and joint injuries: keep still in position found, emergency call
- Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK): Gelenkverletzungen – Erste Hilfe · Lay care of fractures and joint injuries