How do I open the airway for a head, neck or spinal injury?

If you suspect that a person has a head, neck or spinal injury, carefully tilt the head, and lift the chin just enough to open the airway.

If someone may have a neck injury, there are two ways of opening is airway: the modified jaw thrust and the jaw lift.

• The modified jaw thrust is done by pushing the jaw forward from the sides of the lower jaw.
• In the jaw lift, the lower jaw is held at the front and then pulled forward.

When either of these methods is used, an oral pharyngeal airway can be put into the patient’s mouth to hold the tongue out of the way and keep the airway open.

(This answer provided for NATA by the University of Alabama Athletic Training Education Program.)