How to Decide Whether to Reduce a Dislocation

Dislocations occur when bone ends are out of line at the joint, causing pain and preventing a full range of motion. A rescuer must decide whether or not to put the bone ends back in line ("reduce" the dislocation).

Things You'll Need

• Splint

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Instructions

Fracture or Dislocation?

• 1

  Assess the site of injury to determine whether it might be a broken bone (see "How to Assess a Fracture").

• 2

  Treat by splinting if the injury appears to be a fracture (see eHows on splinting).

• 3

  Note that if a fracture seems unlikely, you'll need to determine if the injury is at a joint, if it looks "wrong" compared to other joints, and if range of motion is restricted. If all three determiners listed are confirmed, you are probably looking at a dislocation.

Patient's History and Evacuation Options

• 4

  Determine how quickly the injured person can be seen by a trained medical professional. If medical help is more than an hour away, attempt to reduce the dislocation (see related eHows on reducing dislocations).

• 5

  Check to see if the blood supply is being cut off to the connecting limbs by looking for blueness, tingling, numbness or the absence of a pulse in the extremities. If circulation is impaired, reduce the dislocation immediately.

• 6

  Ask the injured person if she has experienced a dislocation in this joint before, and if so, how it was treated. If the injured person knows how to put her bones back in line, have her guide you through the steps.

• 7

  Splint the dislocation if medical help is nearby and circulation to connected limbs does not appear to be impaired (see eHows on splinting). Seek professional help to relocate the joint immediately.