ROAD RASH KNEE SKIN
Serious road rash injuries that scrape away the top layers of skin and expose muscle and bones may even require skin grafting or other complicated surgical procedures to repair the damage a victim incurs. Road rash can also result from falls while biking, skateboarding, or running outside. Additionally, anyone who is ejected from a motor vehicle in an accident or pedestrians who are struck by a motor vehicle could also suffer road rash injuries. Motorcyclists and bicyclists are at the greatest risk of suffering road rash injuries in an accident, especially if they are thrown from their bikes. Road rash refers to injuries that result from abrasions a person incurs when their body comes into contact with a rough road surface. But first, let’s start off by explaining the basics. We will also discuss the circumstances under which you might be eligible to seek compensation for sustaining road rash injuries. In this blog, we’ll talk about the types of road rash, its severity classification, and the legal implications related to such injuries. While familiar as a common risk to those who ride motorcycles and bicycles, road rash can affect anyone involved in an accident on the road.
ROAD RASH KNEE PROFESSIONAL
It should go without saying that if you see scary things like bone, bleeding that doesn’t stop, odd colored liquid, or radiating redness around the wound, stop your DIY medicine and seek professional care.A person’s life can be completely altered in the aftermath of an accident that causes road rash injuries, depending on their severity. If concerned about scarring, lotion or vitamin E oil can help, although you’re unlikely to escape a battle mark completely. Once dry and healed, keep in mind that the new skin will be more susceptible to sunburn. The skin has to heal from the inside out. Resist the temptation to blot it with a towel, blow on it with a hairdryer, or otherwise attempt to speed up the “drying” process. Even then, it’s likely worth keeping it dressed for another couple of days. Keep dressing the wound with ointment and Tegaderm until the skin is dry to the touch. But if you’re exercising and getting sweaty, it won’t hold up as well and should be changed once or twice a day. It’s also waterproof so unless you are due to change it out, leave it on while showering.Ī Tegaderm dressing can go a couple of days without changing. On a knee or elbow with a lot of movement, a piece of mesh stockinette will help keep it in place. On a broad, fairly static area like the side of a hip or a butt cheek, Tegaderm will often stay in place by itself. It does a great job of meeting our goals: moist and clean. Our medical team at the Tour of Utah gives out Tegaderm like candy on Halloween. Unless the wound is very superficial and dry, gauze will just stick to the wound and rip it open when removed.
Gauze and road rash don’t play well together. First, apply an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin or Bacitracin. The goals of the dressing are to keep the area moist and clean. If there is still a bit of dirt remaining after washing with water, betadine can help prevent infection. Stay away from hydrogen peroxide as it actually breaks down epithelial tissue. Light scrubbing with a clean brush works well but be prepared for pain and cursing. If there are a lot of gravel bits, you want to remove those as best as possible. Make sure your hands are clean or gloved. Also, contrary to popular belief, treatment should not attempt to dry it out.
Contrary to popular belief, it acts much more like a burn than an abrasion. Maybe more annoying than painful, but definitely damaging to the ego, road rash is not necessarily difficult to treat. Whether cycling, rollerskiing, or apparently spring skate skiing, road rash is almost inevitable. (Photo: Axelar / Arild Aarnes / Skifestivalen Blink Facebook)
Avoiding the rash – racers crest a hill at the 2018 Blink rollerski festival in Sandnes, Norway.