BANDAGING SKILL · SNAKE AND FUNNEL-WEB BITES
Pressure Immobilisation Technique: Snake and Funnel-Web Spider Bite First Aid
One physical technique, two urgent Australian bite scenarios—and clear guidance about when it should not be used.
Emergency first
Call Triple Zero (000) immediately for every suspected Australian snake bite and every suspected funnel-web or big-black-spider bite. Lie the person down, keep them completely still, and apply pressure immobilisation if the bite is on a limb. Do not allow them to walk to the ambulance.
On this page
Table of Contents
When pressure immobilisation should—and should not—be used
Pressure immobilisation is designed to slow the movement of venom through the lymphatic system. It combines firm pressure over the bitten limb with complete immobilisation. It is not a general treatment for pain, swelling or every animal bite.
| Situation | Pressure immobilisation? | Immediate action |
|---|---|---|
| Suspected Australian snake bite | Yes | Call 000, keep still, bandage and splint. |
| Funnel-web or suspected big-black-spider bite | Yes | Call 000, keep still, bandage and splint. |
| Redback spider bite | No | Use a wrapped cold pack for pain; seek advice if symptoms are severe. |
| Other spider bite | No | Wash, use a wrapped cold pack and monitor. |
| Jellyfish, stonefish or most marine stings | Usually no | Follow species-specific guidance rather than applying this technique automatically. |
Practise the decision, not just the reading
Bandaging pressure, limb position and circulation checks are physical skills. A trainer can correct errors that are hard to spot in a diagram. HLTAID011 Provide First Aid covers assessment, emergency action, CPR, bites and stings, bandaging and clear handover to paramedics.
Equipment and one authoritative technique
Use a broad elasticised or crepe bandage if available. If you do not have one, use clothing, towels or other broad material. A rigid splint helps prevent muscle movement. Keep the person lying down throughout.
- Call 000 and stop movement. Reassure the person. Do not have them walk, even a short distance.
- Bandage over the bite area. Apply firm pressure as soon as possible. If clothing covers the site, bandage over the clothing rather than delaying.
- Continue from the fingers or toes upward. Wrap the entire limb, overlapping each turn, as firmly as you would bandage a sprained ankle.
- Immobilise the joints. Splint the whole limb and secure it so the person cannot bend the ankle, knee, wrist or elbow.
- Mark and monitor. Note the bite location and time if known. Keep checking consciousness and normal breathing. Be ready to start CPR.
- Leave the bandage in place. It should normally be removed only by health professionals in a controlled setting.
Firm—not a tourniquet
The bandage should compress tissue while preserving arterial blood flow. Fingers or toes should remain warm and normally coloured. If they become pale, blue, cold, very numb or increasingly painful, the bandage may be too tight; adjust it while keeping the limb still.
Part A: pressure immobilisation for Australian snake bites
Treat every suspected Australian snake bite as a medical emergency, even if there are no immediate symptoms or visible fang marks. Venom effects can be delayed, and a person can deteriorate after initially appearing well.
- Do not wash the bite site; venom on the skin may help hospital identification.
- Do not cut or suck the bite, apply a tourniquet, or use an ice pack.
- Do not attempt to catch or kill the snake. A photo taken from a safe distance may help, but never delay first aid or risk another bite.
- If the bite is not on a limb, apply firm direct pressure over the site if possible without restricting breathing, and keep the person still.
See the complete Australian snake-bite first-aid guide for symptom patterns, myths and the full emergency pathway.
Part B: funnel-web and suspected big-black-spider bites
Funnel-web spiders occur mainly along Australia’s eastern seaboard. Because distinguishing a dangerous funnel-web from another large dark spider may be difficult in an emergency, ANZCOR recommends treating a bite from a suspected funnel-web or big black spider as a medical emergency.
- Call 000 immediately and keep the person lying still.
- Apply the same whole-limb pressure immobilisation technique described above.
- Do not wash the site, cut or suck the bite, or try to catch the spider.
- Watch for severe pain, sweating, tingling around the mouth, breathing difficulty, nausea, drooling, muscle twitching, agitation or collapse.
The Australian spider-bite first aid hub explains the redback-versus-funnel-web decision, while the funnel-web guide covers symptoms and escalation.
Other ANZCOR-listed applications
ANZCOR also recommends pressure immobilisation in selected other envenomation situations, including bites from blue-ringed octopus and cone shells. These incidents require their own emergency pathway. This page focuses on the two Australian land-bite situations most likely to be confused: snake bite and funnel-web spider bite.
Common mistakes, improvised bandages and circulation checks
- Bandaging only the bite instead of the entire limb.
- Letting the person stand while the bandage is applied.
- Removing clothing, washing the site or repeatedly checking the bite.
- Making the wrap dangerously tight, or so loose that it provides no tissue pressure.
- Forgetting the splint: pressure without immobilisation does not prevent muscle-driven lymph movement.
- Removing the bandage when symptoms improve.
If standard bandages are unavailable, broad strips of clothing can be overlapped around the limb and a straight object can be padded and used as a splint. Avoid narrow cord or wire. The priority remains 000, stillness, firm broad pressure and immobilisation.
Sources and clinical review
- ANZCOR Guideline 9.4.2: First Aid Management of Spider Bite
- Healthdirect: spider bites
- Queensland Poisons Information Centre: spider bites
- ANZCOR Guideline 9.4.8: Envenomation—Pressure Immobilisation Technique
Author: Linda Wall — Registered Nurse and First Aid Trainer and Assessor with more than 30 years’ healthcare experience. Sources last checked: July 2026. This is general first aid education, not individual diagnosis or medical advice. For poison advice in Australia call 13 11 26; for an emergency call 000.
