Starter
 On a half sheet of paper, write your name at
the top and answer the following questions.
 What does immobilization mean?
 Have you ever had an injury immobilized?
 What types of injuries require immobilization?
Even if you do not know the answer, try and think
through each question.
Standard 7 Objective 4: Discuss immobilization
techniques.
Objective 4: Discuss
immobilization techniques.
 PowerPoint lecture and guided notes
 What do we immobilize?
 Why do we immobilize?
 How do we immobilize?
 Explanation and demonstration of different
methods of immobilization/splinting.
 What items can we use to immobilize?
 Splinting Lab
What do we immobilize?
• Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether an injury is a
fracture, dislocation, sprain, or strain.
• We should immobilize any injury that has a deformity.
• If the athlete has severe pain with any range of
motion, they should be immobilized.
Why do we immobilize?
 You cannot always be sure which injury an
athlete may have sustained.
 If there is a fracture or dislocation, the structures
are not stable. They need to be stabilized!
 Stabilize only if the athlete needs to be moved.
(Almost 100% will need to be moved eventually.)
How do we immobilize?
 The basic principles are:
1. Splint only if you can do it without causing more
pain and discomfort to the victim.
2. Splint an injury in the position you find it.
3. Apply the splint so that it immobilizes the
fractured bone as well as the joints above and
below the fracture.
4. Check the circulation distal to the injury before
and after splinting.
5. If at all possible, do not move the athlete until
they have been splinted.
How do we immobilize?
 Shoulder injuries should be immobilized with a
sling and swathe bandage, with the upper limb
bound to the body securely.
Head, Neck, or Back Injuries
What signs and symptoms would lead you to immobilize an
athlete with a cervical collar and back board?
•
•
•
•
Unconsciousness
Numbness or tingling in extremities
Neck or back pain on the spine
Mechanism of injury
1. Activate EMS
2. Do NOT move athlete
3. If athlete is wearing a
helmet, do NOT
remove it.
4. Instruct athlete to stay as still as possible and
instruct not to move.
5. When EMS arrives, they will apply a cervical
collar and transport athlete on a backboard.
Maintain in-line stabilization
a. Place hands on both sides of the victims’ head.
b. Hold the athletes’ head in-line with the spine, if
severely angled hold and maintain in the
position you found it.
c. Support this position until EMS personnel arrive.
d. Maintain airway and breathing.
Different Methods of
Immobilization
 Vacuum Splints
 Traction Splints
 SAM Splint
 Rigid Splint
 Soft Splint
 Anatomical Splint
Splinting Lab
 Read the directions on the worksheet.
 You will need a few ace wraps (grab different
sizes, but make sure to share).
 You also need to grab a SAM splint.
 Move the desks out of your way. Push them
against the back wall.
 Splint away!
Splinting Lab
Please pair up into
groups of 4