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Homemade Splints

A broken bone is incredibly painful and requires immediate medical attention to prevent further injury. A proper splint will stabilize the injured bone until you are able to reach a health care professional. Keep in mind that splints are temporary solutions for emergency situations in which immediate medical treatment is unavailable.

  1. Splint Uses

    • Splints are used to stabilize a severely injured body part until medical attention is obtained. The first step is identifying a limb as being broken or bruised. A limb that has suffered a severe fracture or broken bone will be extremely painful, possibly discolored or misshapen, and will require help from a health care professional to heal properly. For arm injuries, a sling is often used with a splint in order to keep stress off the arm. If you are able to reach a hospital within 15 minutes of the injury, a splint is unnecessary; splints are typically reserved for times when medical help is not immediately available.

    Making A Splint

    • When making a splint, first find an item that will serve as a support to keep the broken bone/injured joint secure and immobile. For large bones in arms or lower legs, you can use a sturdy stick or piece of wood, a small baseball bat or a rolled newspaper. Wrap the injured limb in a towel to protect it from bumps, and lay the splinting brace next to it. Secure the splint to the bone near either joint, avoiding the injury; make sure not to cut off circulation to the injured area. To make a sling, take a towel and tie two opposing corners to one another. Put the knot on the shoulder opposite the injured arm and rest the splinted bone in the towel. Once the bone is splinted, seek medical attention immediately.

      For smaller bones like fingers or bones in your hand or foot, you can use popsicle sticks, pencils or a paperback book as splints. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, it is important to include the joint above and below the injury in the splint in order to keep the injury immobile. In general, every effort should be made to splint the injured bone in the position it was found in order to prevent further injury. Attempting to reset a bone in a non-hospital setting can add considerable harm to an otherwise mild bone break.

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