An apparently harmless injury
After a fall, a violent blow or a wrong movement you can suffer serious injuries to the joints. Compared with a sprain, in dislocations and luxations the joint surfaces lose contact with each other. Specifically, the joint capsule and the head of the bone that pivots in it come apart. Although this type of injury is already fairly serious for a hiker, it is still possible to intervene with a minimum of care.
Dislocations and luxations can affect any joint, but in particular the joints of the shoulder, arm, hand, ankle, knee and hip, that is, all those joints that are put under heavy strain both while climbing and while walking.
Symptoms
- acute pain localised at the affected joint;
- temporary deformity of the joint and of the affected limb;
- widespread swelling and redness of the dislocated part;
- inability to move the affected limb;
First aid for a dislocation or luxation
A dislocation is an apparently harmless injury. After a fall or a blow, it is not always easy to diagnose a dislocation. The first thing to do when helping an injured person is to have them lie down so that you can assess how serious the injury is.
- If it is an upper limb that has been hurt, a shoulder, an elbow, a wrist, the first thing NOT to do is to try to put the head of the bone back into its joint capsule. Bandage lightly and immobilise the limb;
- As soon as possible apply ice-cold water taken from a stream, or ice fetched from a bar along the road. Head quickly to the nearest hospital;
- If instead it is a lower limb that has been hurt, and the injured person can no longer get back on their feet in any way, call Mountain Rescue. Heroics are pointless: even the simplest route can turn into a tragic return for the injured hiker.