either he could have left his leg the way it was, risking the possibility of cutting off the blood supply to the rest of his leg and having even worse injuries, or they move his leg to put it in traction so he is in less pain and has less of a risk of complications, while only having some serious pain for 5 seconds while they move him. so without having the ability to give him any meds, the 5 seconds of intense pain is the best option to take.