ImobilizarPasso 2
Tala moldável (tipo SAM)
Why: leve, enrola-se e molda-se ao braço ou à perna. Mais fácil do que improvisar.
Essential guide · Base level · 8 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all8 min read
Fractures, sprains and head injuries: what to do
Splinting a fracture without straightening it, when not to move an injured person, the warning signs after a head injury and how to treat a sprain.
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026
09·GSplinting a fracture
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
As found
A fracture is splinted in the position it was found. Don't try to straighten a bent bone.
Don't move
After a fall from height or a road crash, don't move the person unless the place is dangerous. Ask them to keep their neck still.
24 h
After a blow to the head, an adult stays with the person for at least 24 hours, watching for warning signs.
20 min
For a sprain: rest, ice wrapped in a cloth for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, and the leg or arm raised.
01Why it matters
With an injury, the most important thing is not to make it worse.
Falls, road crashes, collapses in an earthquake, twisting an ankle on the stairs: injuries are among the most common emergencies. In most cases, help from the person nearby is simple — protect the injured area, don't move more than necessary and call for help. Serious mistakes almost always come from doing too much: straightening a bone, lifting someone who fell down the stairs, letting someone who hit their head sleep alone.
Fracture
Severe pain, deformity, a crack was heard, can't move or bear weight. Splint and go to hospital.
Sprain
Twisted ankle, knee or wrist: pain and swelling, but no deformity. Rest, ice and elevation.
Head injury
Even without losing consciousness, there may be an injury that only shows hours later. Watch.
02Fractures
Steady. Splint. Check.
Step 1
Steady
Support the limb with your hands, above and below the injury, in the position it's in. Ask the person not to move. Call 112 or arrange to get to hospital.
Step 2
Splint
A rigid splint — a board, a rolled magazine, an umbrella — reaching the joint above and the joint below. Pad the gaps and secure without tightening. Arm: in a sling across the chest.
Step 3
Check
After splinting, look at the hand or foot: if it turns cold, bluish or numb, the splint is too tight — loosen it. If bone is showing, cover with a clean dressing without pushing.
1
Signs of a fracture: a crack was heard; the area has changed shape or is at an odd angle; it's numb or tingling; the skin has turned bluish or grey, or is cold.
2
Don't straighten a bent bone. Only trained professionals should do that. Splint it as found, with as little movement as possible.
3
Dislocations: a shoulder, finger or knee out of place is treated like a fracture. Don't try to put it back.
4
A major fracture can bleed internally — the hip or thigh, for example. If the person becomes pale, cold, sweaty, dizzy or has a very fast pulse, call 112 and keep them lying down and warm.
03Spine and moving someone
If in doubt, don't move them.
Plate 09·H — Suspected spinal injuryLeave as found, protect, watch
1
Move them only if the place is dangerous: fire, traffic, collapse, water. If so, move them as little as possible, keeping head, neck and back in line.
2
Don't fit improvised neck collars. The ERC doesn't recommend routine collars by first-aiders.
3
If they don't respond but are breathing, and injury is suspected, don't use the recovery position: keep the airway open where they are and call 112.
4
If they stop breathing normally, roll them onto their back and start CPR — cardiac arrest always comes first. See the BLS guide.
5
Protect them from cold with blankets or coats on top and, if possible, underneath. Stay with them until help arrives.
04Head injury
The signs that mean calling 112.
1
Knocked out and not waking up, can't stay awake, or had a seizure?
Yes
Call 112If not breathing normally, start CPR. If breathing, keep the airway open without moving them.
No
2
Fell more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, or hit at high speed? Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears? Problems seeing or hearing, weakness, trouble speaking or walking, or behaving differently?
Yes
Call 112These are signs of a possibly serious injury. Keep them still and watch until help arrives.
No
3
Just a mild headache, a bump, or a little dazed?
Yes
Watch at homeIce wrapped in a cloth, rest, and an adult with them for at least 24 hours. If it gets worse, 112.
No
In the following daysNo driving until fully recovered, no work or school until feeling better, and no contact sports for at least 3 weeks.
05Sprains
Rest, ice, elevation — and watch for signs of a fracture.
1
Rest: stop the activity and don't put weight on the injured area.
2
Ice wrapped in a cloth — or a bag of frozen vegetables — for up to 20 minutes at a time, every 2 to 3 hours. Never ice directly on the skin.
3
Elevation: keep the leg or arm raised on a pillow whenever possible.
4
For the first few days, avoid heat (hot baths, hot-water bottles), alcohol and massage.
5
Go to A&E if you heard a crack, the area has changed shape, is numb or tingling, or the skin has changed colour or is cold.
06Six costly mistakes
Fracture and head-injury myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“A bent bone should be straightened before splinting.”
Only trained professionals should do that. Splint it as it is.
Myth
“A dislocated shoulder goes back in with a pull.”
It can damage nerves and blood vessels. Splint it and go to hospital.
Myth
“Someone who's fallen should be helped up straight away.”
If they may have a spinal injury, lifting them can cause paralysis. Leave them as they are and call 112.
Myth
“If they can move it, it isn't broken.”
Many fractures still allow movement. Deformity, sharp pain at one point, numbness or a crack are reasons to go to hospital.
Myth
“After a head injury, you mustn't sleep.”
What matters is that an adult stays with them for at least 24 hours, watching for warning signs, and calls 112 if any appear.
Myth
“Ice straight on the skin treats a sprain better.”
It burns the skin. Always wrap ice in a cloth, for up to 20 minutes at a time.
07Recommended equipment
What splints, protects and relieves.
A splint can be improvised from almost anything rigid. But a mouldable splint, a triangular bandage and roller bandages make splinting easier and safer. Keep them in the first-aid kit at home and in the car.
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ImobilizarPasso 2
Lenços triangulares
Why: para fazer uma suspensão do braço ou prender uma tala.
EntorsesSecção 05
Compressas de frio instantâneo
Why: para entorses e pancadas, sem precisar de congelador. Sempre embrulhadas num pano.
Quick card
Print it. Stick it in the first-aid kit.
Stick this sheet next to the BLS one, in the first-aid kit.
Fractures and head injuries · K72 sheet
1Fracture: don't straighten; splint above and below; check colour.
2Fall from height or crash: don't move, 112.
3Head injury with blackout, vomiting, confusion, seizure: 112.
4Minor head injury: an adult nearby for 24 hours.
5Sprain: rest, ice in a cloth 20 min, raise.
6Skin cold, bluish or numb after splinting: loosen.
09·G · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- European Resuscitation Council — Guidelines 2021: First aid — don't straighten fractures, splint as found, neck collars, concussion
- European Resuscitation Council — The ERC Guidelines 2025 on Resuscitation for Everyone — don't move after trauma, stop sport after concussion
- INEM — BLS and AED Manual (2021, in Portuguese) — recovery position contraindicated in trauma; move only if essential
- NHS (UK) — Head injury and concussion — warning signs, 24 hours, 3 weeks without contact sports
- NHS (UK) — Sprains and strains — ice 20 min every 2–3 h, signs of fracture
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide does not replace a first-aid course or assessment by a health professional. In an emergency, call 112; for health questions in Portugal, SNS 24: 808 24 24 24.
