Writing Traumatic Injuries References
So, pretty frequently writers screw up when they write about injuries. People are clonked over the head, pass out for hours, and wake up with just a headache… Eragon breaks his wrist and it’s just fine within days… Wounds heal with nary a scar, ever…
I’m aiming to fix that.
Here are over 100 links covering just about every facet of traumatic injuries (physical, psychological, long-term), focusing mainly on burns, concussions, fractures, and lacerations. Now you can beat up your characters properly!
GENERAL RESOURCES
WebMD // Mayo Clinic first aid // Mayo Clinic diseases // First Aid
PubMed: The source for biomedical literature
Diagrams: Veins (towards heart), arteries (away from heart) bones, nervous system, brain
BURNS
General overview // Burn severity: Including how to estimate body area affected // Burns: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees // Smoke inhalation // Smoke inhalation treatment // Chemical burns // Hot tar burns // Sunburns
INCISIONS & LACERATIONS
Essentials of Repair (including stitching techniques) // When to stitch (Journal article–Doctors apparently usually go by experience on this) // More about when to stitch (Simple guide for moms) // Basic wound treatment // Incision vs. laceration // Types of lacerations (tw!) // How to stop bleeding: 1, 2, 3 // Puncture wounds + risks of infection // More about puncture wounds // Wound assessment: colour of the flesh, different fluids from a wound, etc. // Home treatment of gunshot wound, also basics // More about gunshot wounds, including medical procedures // Tourniquet use: Controversy around it, latest research // Location pain chart: Originally intended for tattoo pain
General note: Deeper=more serious. Elevate wounded limb so that gravity draws blood towards heart. Scalp wounds also bleed a lot but tend to be superficial. If it’s dirty, risk infection. If it hits the digestive system and you don’t die immediately, infection’ll probably kill you. Don’t forget the possibility of tetanus! If a wound is positioned such that movement would cause the wound to gape open (i.e. horizontally across the knee) it’s harder to keep it closed and may take longer for it to heal.
BROKEN BONES
Types of fractures // Setting a broken bone // Healing time of common fractures // Broken wrists // Broken ankles/feet // Fractured vertebrae: Neck (1, 2), back // Types of casts // Splints // Fracture complications // Broken noses // Broken digits: Fingers and toes
General notes: If it’s a compound fracture (bone poking through) good luck fixing it on your own. If the bone is in multiple pieces, surgery is necessary to fix it–probably can’t reduce (“set”) it from the outside. Older people heal more slowly. It’s possible for bones to “heal” crooked and cause long-term problems and joint pain. Consider damage to nearby nerves, muscle, and blood vessels.
CONCUSSIONS
General overview // Types of concussions 1, 2 // Concussion complications // Mild Brain Injuries: > Grade 3 // Post-concussion syndrome // Second impact syndrome: When a second blow delivered before recovering from the initial concussion has catastrophic effects. // Recovering from a concussion // Symptoms // Whiplash
General notes: If you pass out, even for a few seconds, it’s serious. If you have multiple concussions over a lifetime, they will be progressively more serious. Symptoms can linger.
CHARACTER REACTION
Shock (general) // Physical shock: 1, 2 // Fight-or-flight response: 1, 2 // Long-term emotional trauma: 1 (Includes symptoms), 2 //First aid for emotional trauma
TREATMENT
Drugs: WebMD painkiller guide & Herbs: 1, 2, 3, 4
MISCELLANY
Snake bites: No, you don’t suck the venom out or apply tourniquettes // Frostbite // Frostbite treatment // Severe frostbite treatment // When frostbite sets in: A handy chart for how long your characters have outside at various temperatures and wind speeds before they get frostbitten // First aid myths: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. // Poisons: Why inducing vomiting is a bad idea // Poisonous plants
Dislocations: Symptoms 1, 2; treatment. General notes: Repeated dislocations of same joint may lead to permanent tissue damage and may cause or be symptomatic of weakened ligaments. Docs recommend against trying to reduce (put back) dislocated joint on your own, though information about how to do it is easily found online.
Muscular strains // Joint sprain // Resuscitation after near-drowning: 1, 2 // Current CPR practices: No more mouth-to-mouth. // The DSM IV, for all your mental illness needs.
ELECTRICAL SHOCK
Human response to electrical shock: Includes handy-dandy voltage chart // T∝V // Evaluation protocol for electric shock injury // Neurological complications // Electrical and lightning injury // Cardiac complications // Delayed effects and a good general summary
Acquired savant syndrome: Brain injuries (including a lightning strike) triggering development of amazing artistic and other abilities
Please don’t repost! You can find the original document (also created by me) here.
