How to treat sprains and damage to tendons and ligaments.

The accidental tearing or stretching of a tendon or ligament (tissues that connect bones at the joint) causes sprains. The signs and symptoms are pain, swelling, tenderness, and discoloration (black and blue). You may feel a pop or tear when a sprain occurs. When treating sprains, you should follow the letters in RICE as defined…

Signs and Symptoms of a Dislocated Bone Dislocations are the separations of bone joints causing the bones to go out of proper alignment. These misalignments can be extremely painful and can cause an impairment of nerve or circulatory function below the area affected. You must place these joints back into alignment as quickly as possible.…

A shelter can protect you from the sun, insects, wind, rain, snow, hot or cold temperatures, and undesirable observation from others. It can give you a feeling of well-being and help you maintain your will to survive. If in doubt about the importance of shelter, remember the “Rule of Threes”: You can survive 3 minutes…

A belowground (underground) shelter provides many advantages over an above-ground shelter. A belowground shelter can not only insulate you from the cold, it can reduce the midday heat as much as 16 to 22 degrees C (30 to 40 degrees F). A belowground shelter can also protect against enemy attacks, nuclear radiation, solar radiation, and…

In the dry, arid, desert environment, you must consider the time, effort, and material needed to make a shelter. Any unneeded body movement will consume precious water. You want your desert shelter to be effective but simple to construct.

The beach shade shelter protects you from the sun, wind, rain, and heat. It is easy to make using natural materials found in a beach environment.

If you are in a cold, deep, snow-covered area where evergreen trees grow and you have a digging tool, you can make a tree-pit snow shelter.

For warmth and ease of construction, the debris hut is one of the best. When shelter is essential to survival, and time is of the essence, build this shelter.

Swamp Bed In a marsh or swamp, or any area with standing water or continually wet ground, the swamp bed keeps you out of the water. When selecting such a site, consider the weather, wind, tides, and available materials. To make a swamp bed, you should: Look for four trees clustered in a rectangle or…