If you suspect a back or neck (spinal) injury, do not transfer the affected man or woman. Long lasting paralysis and other critical troubles can final result. Think a man or woman has a spinal injury if:

  • There is certainly proof of a head injury with an ongoing improve in the person’s amount of consciousness
  • The man or woman complains of severe agony in his or her neck or back
  • An injury has exerted substantial drive on the back or head
  • The man or woman complains of weakness, numbness, or paralysis or lacks manage of his or her limbs, bladder or bowels
  • The neck or physique is twisted or positioned oddly

If you suspect an individual has a spinal injury:

  • Get help. Contact 911 or unexpected emergency professional medical help.
  • Preserve the man or woman nonetheless. Place weighty towels or rolled sheets on both of those sides of the neck or keep the head and neck to reduce motion.
  • Stay away from going the head or neck. Supply as significantly first assist as achievable with out going the person’s head or neck. If the man or woman displays no signals of circulation (respiratory, coughing or motion), get started CPR, but do not tilt the head back to open up the airway. Use your fingers to gently grasp the jaw and carry it ahead. If the man or woman has no pulse, get started upper body compressions.
  • Preserve helmet on. If the man or woman is wearing a helmet, will not take away it. A football helmet facemask must be removed if you need to have to access the airway.
  • You should not roll by itself. If you have to roll the man or woman mainly because he or she is vomiting, choking on blood or mainly because you have to make confident the man or woman is nonetheless respiratory, you need to have at the very least one particular other man or woman. With one particular of you at the head and an additional along the side of the wounded man or woman, perform together to hold the person’s head, neck and back aligned when rolling the man or woman on to one particular side.