Acronyms
Acronyms are common in sports injury treatment as at the time when you need it most, you want to be able to remember how to treat and approach and injury properly.
DRABCD should be used if an athlete has been knocked unconscious or is unresponsive.
Danger- before approaching the injured athlete you must check for dangers surrounding them and the possible danger to yourself from things like exposure to blood. Response- Once you have checked for danger you check for a response using another acronym COWS; Can you hear me? Open your eyes. What's your name? Squeeze my hands. Airways- the next step is to check that their airways are clear and nothing is obstructing their breathing. If their airways are not clear, you must clear them for the athlete. Breathing- Once you know their airways are clear you can look, listen and feel to check for signs of breathing and the quality of breathing. CPR- If you cannot see, hear or feel any signs of life you must commence CPR consisting of two breaths every 30 compressions until qualified help arrives. Defibrillator- If there are still no signs of life apply the defibrillator. SALTAPS is the secondary screening of an athlete. Once you have checked that the athlete is responsive and breathing you can try and isolate where the injury is.
Stop- Asses the safety of yourself and the safety of the injured person. Ask- Ask the injured person and bystanders what happened to get a clear idea of what happened. Look- Take time to look for bruises, bleeding, scratches or other abnormalities to the skin. Touch- Gently touch the injured athletes body, if the athlete has a sharp pain response to a particular area you touch you can gain an idea of where the injury has occurred. Active movement- Getting the athlete to move the injured part to gain an insight of the severity of the injury. Passive movement- This is completed by the person administering the first aid to again asses the range of movement the athlete has and the severity of the injury. Stand up- Once checking the athlete, you can try and move them if you think they are up to it. |
RICER is the standard initial treatment of soft tissue injuries and optimises recovery time. Using these immediate first aid measures is relieves pain, limits swelling and protects the injured soft tissue.
Rest- by resting the injured area you avoid causing further damage and give it time to heal. Ice- Apply ice to the affected area for 20 minutes every 2 hours for the first 48 hours. This reduces swelling and internal bleeding. Compression- Cover the injured area in a compression bandage ensuring that you cover both above and below the area to reduce bleeding and swelling. Elevation- Elevate the injured area on a pillow or chair above the level of the hear so that the blood flows away from the injury which reduces swelling. Referral- Ensure that you refer the injury to a qualified practitioner so that it can be checked for more serious damage. When an athlete has an injury it is recommended that they do “No HARM”.
No Heat No Alcohol in the first 24 hours No Running or exercise No Massages |