You’re always told to apply pressure, but how does that actually staunch the flow of blood to the area?
In: Biology
You ever step on a garden hose or bend it so the flow stops?
Same idea. It might not cut off all blood in some cases but slows it enough for it to clot more or to get to more definitive care.
The pressure used for a tourniquet is way more than most people think. It hurts.
You’re placing your hands over the wound. The wound is still open, but you’re holding it (mostly) shut. Because you’re holding it shut, the blood has trouble escaping.
The pressure and closing of the wound is preventing the bulk of the blood from escaping. This gives you time to place a bandage over the wound/get medical assistance.
You’re physically blocking the opening that blood is coming out of. Imagine you have a garden hose with water coming out. Now step on the hose with all your weight. No more water coming out right? That’s all there is to it. The hose is your blood vessels and the water is blood. You’re just blocking the way for the blood to leak out until your body’s natural clotting process kicks in or until you get medical treatment to seal the wound.
Flowing blood is difficult to start the clotting process, temporarily halting the flow of blood enables a temporary plug on the wound to form. https://youtu.be/6taZMcj8co0
Blood vessels of all sizes, from large arteries down to microscopic capillaries, are floppy tubes. The only thing holding them open is the pressure of the blood inside, which can easily be overcome with a few pounds of force. When you apply pressure around an injury, it temporarily collapses the blood vessels and stops the blood from leaking out. Once the flow of blood stops or slows down, it can start to clot more easily.
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