Scout Skills

First Aid · Serious Injury

Head, Neck & Spine

If a serious fall, blow, or crash could have hurt someone's neck or back, assume it did — and keep them from moving while you call 911. Moving a spinal-injury victim can cause permanent paralysis.

Category
Serious injury
Golden rule
Don't move them
Airway
Jaw-thrust, no head-tilt
Head injury
Watch for concussion

What to do

Suspected neck or back injury

  1. 1Call 911.
  2. 2Keep the person still — steady the head and neck with your hands, or place rolled towels or bulk on both sides of the neck to block movement.
  3. 3Give first aid without moving the head or neck — control bleeding, keep them warm, reassure them.
  4. 4If they aren't breathing and you must do CPR, open the airway with a jaw-thrust (lift the jaw forward) instead of the head-tilt.
  5. 5Leave a helmet on. (A football-style facemask can be removed if you need the airway.)
  6. 6Only roll them if you must — vomiting or to check breathing — and never alone: one rescuer at the head, one at the side, keeping head, neck, and back in a straight line as you log-roll together.

Head injury / concussion

  1. 1Suspect a concussion after any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that jars the brain.
  2. 2Watch for signs — headache, confusion, dizziness or balance problems, nausea, memory trouble, sensitivity to light or noise — which may not appear for hours or days.
  3. 3Call 911 or go to the ER for danger signs: one pupil larger than the other or double vision; repeated vomiting; seizures; increasing drowsiness or can't be woken; slurred speech, weakness, or poor coordination; a worsening headache; not recognizing people or places; or unusual, agitated behavior.
  4. 4When in doubt, sit them out and get them evaluated — a second head hit before a concussion heals can be dangerous.

When to use it

  • Falls from height (climbing, cliffs), diving into shallow water, hard tumbles, bike or vehicle crashes — the classic mechanisms that put the spine at risk.
  • Contact and high-speed activities where a head hit is possible.
  • Knowing when not to help someone up — the instinct to move an injured person is exactly the wrong move here.

Common mistakes & safety

  • The default with any high-force injury is: don't move them. You can't rule out a spinal injury in the field, and the cost of being wrong is paralysis.
  • Never yank someone up or drag them by the arms or legs after a bad fall. If you must move them for safety, keep the spine aligned and get help.
  • Don't remove a helmet to "check" — it can move the neck; leave it for EMS unless the airway demands the facemask come off.
  • Concussion signs can be delayed. Someone who "seems fine" can worsen — keep watching, and don't let them go off alone.
  • Repeated vomiting, an enlarged pupil, seizures, or falling unconsciousness after a head injury are emergencies — call 911 now.
  • Getting hit in the head again before a concussion heals is dangerous — that's why "when in doubt, sit them out."

Going deeper

  • Why the jaw-thrust. The normal head-tilt for CPR bends the neck; the jaw-thrust opens the airway while keeping the spine still, which is why it's the airway method when a spinal injury is possible.
  • Manual stabilization just means a rescuer holds the head steady in line with the body — a job someone can do continuously until EMS arrives.
  • Second-impact syndrome is why concussed athletes are pulled from play; a second brain injury before healing can be catastrophic.
  • No blackout needed. Loss of consciousness is not required for a concussion — most happen without it.

Official source

Spinal injury: first aid — Mayo Clinic →

This is general first-aid information, not a substitute for hands-on training. See also CDC HEADS UP on concussion signs.

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