I hurt my arm. i need something to use as a sling. help?!?
Question:
Answers:
A triangular bandage is the best sling to use in place of a "fitted" one. Take a square lightweight cloth about 24" x 24". Fold the square over into a triangle. Your arm should rest in the long base of the triangle, and you can tie or safety pin the top of the triangle around your neck. You can also tie a knot at the floppy end behind your elbow to have the "sling" fit snug to your arm. When you tie or pin the top, with your arm across the front of your body, make sure your hand is slightly elevated above your elbow' s height so blood does not pool in your hand. Use a flexible ice pack inside the sling to help immobilize your arm, and keep swelling down. A magazine placed inside the bottom of the sling works well to help stabilize your arm too. Cover with a small hand towel for comfort. As for your arm, the only way to tell if it is fractured or not is an x-ray. For extra assessment hints: are there any apparent deformities? are you nauseous, or cold and sweaty? Can you touch each finger to your thumb? Can you squeeze your thumb and index finger together? if you squeeze your parents' two fingers together with your hand of each arm, is the injured weaker than the other side? Can you make a tight fist? Can you turn your wrist with the hand open to the sky and down to the floor? Can you move your arm up and down at the elbow? Are you experiencing any numbness or tingling in your hand? Can you feel pin-pricks at the end of each finger and thumb? Is your hand color normal - any mottling, blue-gray or dark purple to black ? danger signs. Did you fall and catch yourself on a flexed hand but straightened elbow, with your fingers facing in front of your body or behind it? Did you hear a snap or feel a pop? Is your pain controllable or too high to cope with? If you can't do these things, notice apparent differences from your good arm to your bad arm, or experience any other of the signs and symptoms mentioned, please get an x-ray now. If you are under 18, esp. in the 8 - 16 range, you have to be very careful of fractures of your bone "growth plates", because they can impede normal growth processes. I have my own 5 kids, plus 750 middle -schoolers. I wish we could have x-ray eyes, but these assessments can help you ascertain the need for an x-ray right now. Personally, as a mom, I'd rather get the x-ray and rule out a fracture than wait. Another important element of your injury is that a fracture will start to heal "as is". The longer you wait, if it is in fact fractured, a re-break to set, or even setting a simple "greenstick" fracture line (fracture line through bone that does not displace the bone), will be more difficult to cast appropriately if left over time. I hope all goes well with you.Blessings.
Other Answers:
^ What he said.
Do you own a scarf (or even something comfy that you can manipulate e.g. an old t-shirt etc)? If so, fold your arm into your middle (L shape so it's bent over your tummy), put half of the scarf over your arm (bring it around from your behind your back) and take the other half around your neck. Where the two ends meet, tie a little knot.
All you need to do is keep the arm in place.
Use a towel or a sheet.
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