Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients.

Michael Menna, DO, is board-certified in emergency medicine. He is an attending emergency medicine physician at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York and also works at an urgent care center and a telemedicine company that provides care to patients across the country.

To immobilize a broken arm, make sure to immobilize the fracture site as well as the joints above and below the fracture.

Cardboard splints work very well for splinting broken arms in the field.

To adequately splint a broken arm, you will need a cardboard splint, towels for padding, bandage scissors, roller gauze, and tape. Other items can be used to immobilize the broken arm. Anything that secures the broken arm and immobilizes it will work.

Determine the location of the broken bone and assess the arm to make sure victim can still move fingers, feel touch, and has circulation to his or her hand.

Assess the broken arm by feeling the area of the broken bone. Deformity, crepitus (a grinding feeling under the skin), or discoloration may be present in the area of the fracture. In most cases, the victim will just feel pain and tenderness near the injury.

Assess the victim's circulation, sensation, and motion in the hand.

If the cardboard is too long, cut it to size. In this case, cuts are made to help shape the splint.

Shape the splint to fit the broken arm by folding the splint to wrap around the arm.

After the splint is cut, bend the splint up to fit around the elbow.

Finish the splint by folding the remaining flaps around and tape them in place.

Pad the splint with towels or other padding before placing it on the broken arm.

Correctly position the broken arm into the padded splint. Make sure fit is snug, but not tight.

Put something in the victim's hand (like a roll of gauze) to maintain the position of function. The position of function is achieved when the fingers are slightly curled.​

Fill all voids (spaces) between the broken arm and the splint with additional padding. The rule: avoid the voids.

Secure the splint around the broken arm with tape or roller gauze.

Wrap the splint snugly around the broken arm. The splint should support the broken arm on all sides and immobilize the arm above and below the broken bone. In this example, the broken arm is immobilized from the elbow to the wrist.

Once the splint is attached, the broken arm should be securely immobilized and should not be able to move.

After the broken arm is secured in the splint, reassess the hand to determine if function and circulation are still intact. Recheck circulation, sensation, and motion.

Place ice or a cold pack on the injury to reduce swelling. For chemical cold packs, follow the manufacturer's directions. Never place ice directly on skin.

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Honsik K, Boyd A, Rubin AL. Sideline splinting, bracing, and casting of extremity injuries. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2003 May 1;2(3):147-54. doi:10.1007/s11932-003-0048-8

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick and Injured. United States: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

National Ski Patrol, N. S. Outdoor Emergency Care: a Patroller's Guide to Medical Care with Navigate 2 Advantage Access. United States: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Ortho Info. Adult forearm fractures.

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