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.