Broken bone

Call 911 if:

• There is a suspected broken bone in the head, neck, or back.
• There is a suspected broken bone in the hip, pelvis, or upper leg.
• You cannot completely immobilize the injury at the scene by yourself.
• There is severe bleeding.
• An area below the injured joint is pale, cold, clammy, or blue.
• There is a bone projecting through the skin.

Even though other broken bones may not be medical emergencies, they still deserve medical attention. Call your health care provider to find out where and when to be seen.

If a young child refuses to put weight on an arm or leg after an accident, won't move the arm or leg, or you can clearly see a deformity, assume the child has a broken bone and get medical help.

Browner, BD. Skeletal Trauma: Basic Science, Management, and Reconstruction. 3^rd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2003.

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