Severe Bleeding, STOP the Bleed – Improvised Tourniquets Part Five©

 

Author’s note – If you do not like gore, be warned due to the subject matter, some of the photos in this article are graphic, in fact they are purposefully gory, because emergency scenes are gruesome and you must be prepared for it.  I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  

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You’re the first responder at a mass casualty event, a serious accident, or any other situation where there is severe bleeding.  You don’t have a commercially made tourniquet; do you know how to make an improvised tourniquet to stop the bleeding?

 

Improvising a limb tourniquet...

 

To improvise a tourniquet, you need a strap, cloth or flexible material, a rigid object, some padding material, and some way of securing the windlass and keeping it from unwinding.

 

·       Any strong, flexible material that is at least two inches (5 cm) wide, such as a cravat made from a folded triangular bandage, any folded strip of clothing, or strap can be used as a tourniquet.  A wide tourniquet protects the tissues beneath the tourniquet as it is tightened and generally causes less pain and damage to the underlying tissues.  Do not use wire, shoestrings, or other narrow materials to improvise a tourniquet, since when the tourniquet is tightened, a narrow tourniquet may result in pain or serious damage to the nerves and blood vessels.  A 41 inch long band is typically long enough to be wrapped around a person’s waist and could be used to make an improvised inguinal junction (groin) tourniquet.

 

·       Find a rigid object to be used for a windlass.  It can be anything that is sturdy and long enough to tighten the tourniquet band and then be secured.  It should be between 4 to 6 inches  (10 to 15 cm) long.  This rigid object could be a pair of EMT scissors, a weapons cleaning rod, or a stick or branch that is ¼ to 1 inch (6 to 25 mm) thick,

 

·       Any soft, smooth material that can be used to pad the limb and protect the skin from being pinched and twisted when the tourniquet is tightened.  The casualty’s shirt sleeve or trouser leg could be used as padding.

 

·       You will need something that can be used to secure the windlass once the tourniquet has been tightened.  If the material used for the tourniquet is long enough, the ends or tails of the band can be used to secure the windlass.  You could use a carabiner, keyring or other ring, slipped onto the tourniquet band before it is tied and twisted tight.  You could also tie another strip of cloth around the limb near the tourniquet band to secure the windless.

 

Disclaimer: All content and media on The Woodsman’s Journal Online is created and published for informational/educational purposes only.  It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.  Use of the information on this site is AT YOUR OWN RISK, intended solely for self-help, in times of emergency, when medical help is not available, and does not create a doctor-patient relationship.  Always consult with a medical professional for proper diagnosis and treatment of injuries.

 

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That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

Sources

 

Brookside Associates, LLC; “2-23.  Gather Materials for Making an Improvised Tourniquet”, [© Brookside Associates, LLC, 2023], https://brooksidepress.org/TCCC/?page_id=152, accessed February 7, 2026

 

Kerr, W.; Hubbard, B.; Anderson, B.; Montgomery, HR; Glassberg, E.; King, DR; Hardin, RD Jr.; Knight, RM; Cunningham, CW; “Improvised Inguinal Junctional Tourniquets: Recommendations From the Special Operations Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Course”, Journal of Special Operations Medicine, Summer 2019, Vol. 19, No. 2, pages 128 to 133, https://jsomonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20192128Kerr.pdf, accessed January 17, 2026

 

Salchner, Hannah, MD, Et al.; “Arterial Occlusion Effectiveness of Space Blanket‒Improvised Tourniquets for the Remote Setting”, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2023; Vol. 34, No. 3., pages 269 to 276, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1080603223000431?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=9bf1180be96941bb, accessed January 17, 2026

 

Stewart, Sarah K.; Duchesne, Juan C.; Mansoor, A Khan; “Improvised tourniquets: Obsolete or obligatory?”, Journal of Trauma Acute Care Surgical, Jan. 2015; Vol. 78, No. 1, page 178 to 183,

https://dasfoam.org/ftp/Improvised-Tourniquets.pdf, accessed January 17, 2026

 

TCCC; “Skill Card 9: Improvised Limb Tourniquet”

https://tccc.org.ua/en/guide/skill-card-improvised-limb-tourniquet-cpp?keyword=improvise%20limb%20tourniquet, accessed January 17, 2026