How to set a broken bone during a hiking emergency

Breaking a one during a day hike is a serious injury.
Photo courtesy of Photoree.

While accidents on a hiking trail are rare, they can occur. A broken bone is among the most serious of them. Not only is it painful, if the bone is in the leg the injured party will have to be carried out, slowing you incredibly.

You’re first priority with any broken bone should be to get medical attention. If no blood is flowing to the affected limb, however, you may need to set the bone. Doing so may be the only way to save that arm, leg or finger.

To set a broken bone, first determine if doing so is necessary or wise. Begin by pressing on the skin beneath the break. If it turns white then upon your release it turns pink, blood is circulating in the limb, and no setting is required. However, if it remains white or already is blue, circulation probably has been cut off, especially if there is a lack of a pulse, numbness or tingling in that limb.

If the bone protrudes from the skin, however, do not set it. Immobilize it, instead.

The next step is to align the bone to its normal position. This can be done by pulling the limb in opposite directions on either side of the break. Recheck to see if circulation has returned to below the limb.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Guidelines for providing first aid during cold weather

Should you need to provide first aid while hiking in cold weather, you’ll want to follow some basic guidelines to ensure that you don’t exacerbate the injury – or put yourself in peril as well.

Among those “rules”:
g Don’t remove your clothing – Though helping an injured person may be easier without gloves on or with a jacket unzipped, this can create problems for you. Gloves taken off might drop into the snow becoming wet, and unlayered protection against the elements exposes you to the cold, as well.
g Perform first aid a warm place – If possible, move the injured person to a place where they can be warm and perform the first aid there. Laying an injured person on the cold ground or removing their clothing in the open only exposes them to the wind and wet.
g Don’t warm by rubbing – This actually can further damage any affected tissue if frostbite occurs. Instead, you want to use the closeness of body warmth or radiant heat to keep a person warm.
g Blankets alone aren’t enough – Use body warmth to keep a person from being cold and wrap the blanket around both of you. If a person has hypothermia, for example, they can’t generate enough heat on their own to rewarm themselves, so a blanket or sleeping bag alone won’t help.
g Loosen constrictive items – Loosening clothing and removing jewelry that restricts circulation is a good idea. Clothing should not be taken off, however, as exposure to the cold can lead to hypothermia.
g Seek medical help immediately – Cold weather injuries such as frostbite and hypothermia require skilled medical professionals working with the patient in a warm, sterile facility. As soon as the injured person is stabilized, get them to a hospital.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

What to do if your child drinks bad water

When hiking, drink water that you bring
to the trail, not water found in streams or
ponds along the route.

When coming across a crystal clear stream or pond, children often are tempted to drink from it or splash water on their face. Most backwoods streams are full of bacteria guaranteed to give them a bad tummy ache, though. A major bacteria baddie in drinking water is Giardia lamblia, which sickens tens of thousands of people every year in the United States. Fortunately, it's not fatal if you're in good health and get immediate medical attention.

To avoid, only drink water you carry in. You also must limit kids from touching local water; if they get it on their hands or face, it can end up in their mouths. If you must drink local water, there are three options: use water purification tablets, boil it, or use a reverse osmosis filter. The last two solutions probably aren't viable on a day hike.

Signs that your children has imbibed bad water include stomach cramps, nausea, headaches, and diarrhea. Their body odor also may smell like sulfur. Drinking clean water is the remedy, but ultimately you need to get immediate medical attention.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.