A key factor to think about in survivalism is knowing how to perform first aid on yourself if need be. You should always pack a good first aid kit and book whenever planning a trip into the wild. There are also numerous first aid classes available that are often free or very inexpensive. If you have an injury or accident in the woods, survivalism requires that you are prepared to deal with it on your own.
Here, in this article I will attempt to go over some of the most common first aid treatment you should know when you have to survive by yourself.
The first thing you need to try to do when an accident occurs is to try to remain calm and clearheaded. If it is a cut or puncture wound you should elevate the wound if possible and apply pressure to try stop the bleeding. First aid kits come with an assortment of bandages which would be invaluable in this situation. If you have no bandages handy you can make one with a clean strip of cloth. Tape can also be used to temporarily stop bleeding if it can be found.
Natural disasters can cause broken bones and deep bruising. For folks who live in hurricane prone areas, your hurricane preparedness kits should contain provisions to deal with fractures. If you think you may have broken or fractured a arm or leg you will have to improvise a splint to try and keep the limb immobilized and as straight as possible. You can use straight sticks if available to make the splint. You will then have to find something to secure the splint over and around the injury. Belts, string, rope or even vines can be used for this when alone in the wild.
In survivalism another very common injury that can occur is frostbite. Frostbite is what happens when an area of the body becomes frozen from too much exposure to cold weather. There are 4 degrees of frostbite ranging from temporary numbness of the affected area up to where the frostbitten part will have to be amputated. Warming the affected area as soon as it becomes apparent is the only way to keep frostbite from getting worse. You should use any means possible to get warm in frigid weather. Adequate warm clothing is the most important when braving the wild in cold weather.