You are teaching your health club’s beloved outdoor Mixed Martial Arts class. A woman in the back row trips and falls -- directly into the path of an oncoming gaggle of cyclists. As you approach, the first thing you notice is a protruding bone in her wrist. You: Keep her still, cut away her shirt sleeve at the wrist, gently place the protruding bone back into place, cover the open area with a clean t-shirt from your duffel bag, and immobilize the limb. Which of these steps was problematic?
Explanation
Answer: B - When a Group Fitness Instructor suspects a fracture, and there is no qualified medical provider nearby, the bone should be immobilized (splinted if possible); it should certainly never be pushed back into place. Moving a fractured bone can increase the risk of infection. The ragged ends of a fractured bone can sever soft tissue (muscle, ligament) or worse (blood vessels or nerves). All of the other steps (removing the dirty sleeve, covering the open area, keeping the victim calm) would have also been appropriate.
