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Civilian Emergency Platform
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — After a fall or blow, the person has severe back pain and may have numbness, tingling, or weakness in legs.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — NOT EXPERT REVIEWED — NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe mid or lower back pain after fall or blow.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Numbness, tingling, or weakness in legs or groin.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Loss of bladder or bowel control after injury.
Scene hazards: Traffic, Unstable ladders or scaffolding, Further falls
Do not sit them up, roll them alone, or bend the back.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Tell them not to move. Call 112 or 108.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Stop others from lifting them into a chair or car.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Keep flat. Hold head gently in neutral position if needed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Ask them to wiggle toes and report any numbness.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Use blanket for warmth without shifting the back.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112. Say: "Suspected spine fracture. Person must not be moved."
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — All vertebral fractures after trauma need emergency spine immobilization and imaging.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT sit them up or put them in a car seat.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT twist or bend the back to remove clothing.
MYTH: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Back pain alone after a fall is just muscle strain
REALITY: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Vertebral fractures can present as back pain without obvious deformity. Numb legs or major trauma mean emergency.
DANGER: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Moving someone with an unstable spine fracture.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A broken vertebra can damage the spinal cord running through it.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Older adults can fracture vertebrae from minor falls — still treat as serious.