Fall-Down-Go-Boom

[Dirt]

I haven’t been around much this week. Part of the reason why is that there are now 3 fewer ninjas in the area. Tuesday morning I met 3 invisible runners on a blind turn on the W&OD and I put the bike in the ditch to avoid hitting them. They were nice. They stopped and helped out. They apologized and all took Bike Arlington leg bands and wore them. They’re now hopefully a bit wiser about their early morning runs.

That brings me to today’s topic. How to deal with road rash.

Disclaimer: I’m not a physician. I had first aid training almost 30 years ago when I was working to be a ski patrol geek. I didn’t even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. This is definitely a good topic for people to chime in on to discuss what works for you! If the injuries you’ve sustained scare you, you’re experiencing numbness or have stuff that isn’t where it usually is, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM! Urgent care centers have also become favorite places for me too. Over the last 5 years mine has gotten to know me by name.

Some minor stuff can be treated yourself.

Road rash happens when you hit the pavement. It is particularly painful because it combines bruising with scrapes, small cuts and gravel/dirt. It takes all those nerve endings and cranks them up to 11. Road rash is a superficial wound. If there’s anything deep about your wound, then you need more than home first aid. Let a professional deal with it.

There are some basic steps to dealing with road rash: Cleaning, dressing, inflammation control, healing.

Cleaning is the worst part. It just hurts. If I have a clean water bottle, I usually will spray out the wound with it to get the big chunks of debris out of the wound. Do this immediately. There’s a brief period of time where you can clean and it doesn’t hurt so much. Cleaning an hour later is always gonna hurt. When you get home, spend some time in the shower scrubbing it with soap. I run the area under cold water for a few moments… or minutes… it kinda numbs the area a bit. You don’t want to clean it so hard that you’re actually causing more damage, but you really need to get in there and clean out the crap. There are some first-aid washes and cleaning products on the market…. I tend to use soap and hot water… nothing fancy. Hydrogen Peroxide is your friend. Yes it stings. It also helps clean stuff.

Honestly, it takes a special kind of person this themselves. There was a time that I couldn’t. If you can’t clean the wound yourself, get someone to do it for you. Usually that means a health care professional.

Pat it dry with a surgical sponge (available at the drug store) or a very clean wash cloth.

Once you get it clean, it is time to treat/dress the wound. Dressing the wound is the worst part. Basically you gotta put some kind of first aid ointment on it and then find a way to cover it. There is a first aid ointment product called Brave Soldier (google will find it). This stuff is awesome. It is designed specifically for this kind of wound. It has all the right stuff in it and makes the healing process faster and more comfortable. Don’t be stingy. The stuff is expensive and worth every penny. Keep it in the cabinet. I used the last of mine this week and will be ordering more tonight.

Make sure your first aid products are fresh. If you’ve got a tube of bacitracin that has been sitting on the shelf for a decade or two, that probably is NOT the best thing to use. One of the reasons Brave Soldier is so good is that it comes in single use packets that are always fresh.

Part of keeping infection from setting in involves keeping the wound clean. Sometimes I’m able to leave elbow scrapes uncovered if I know I’m not gonna be getting it dirty. That sometimes helps things heal. Most of the time that doesn’t work though. Usually you need to cover it up. Make sure there’s plenty of first aid cream on it and cover up with a non-stick gauze bandage and first aid tape. I’ve gone the extra step for some large areas where putting a disposable diaper over the top of that kinda helps. Makes sure that you don’t get any oozing around the outside.

Here’s an important thing: Change that dressing often…. Really often. More often than you think you should. Doing so helps keep the wound from sticking to the non-stick bandage. Add more ointment and put on a new bandage. Some cases I can get by with changing the bandage 3 times per day. Usually I try to change it 4 or 5 times.

Keep it moist. I use lots of first aid cream on it. When it really gets past the oozy stage, you can switch over to something like bag balm if you are concerned about using so many antibiotics. I know that is a concern for some. Just make sure you’re well into the healing process when you do this… and that your bag balm is fresh and clean.

Inflammation Control is the worst part. I wrap an ice pack in a clean towel and put it over the dressed wound. It feels good. It helps numb and it also keeps the swelling down. Do this for a few minutes at a time. If you are someone who uses over the counter drugs, advil (Ibuprofen) is your friend. Make sure you’ve got a little something in your stomach and chow down. I don’t overdo the dosage without a doctor specifically recommending it.

Letting it heal is the worst part. It just takes too dang long!!!! Why can’t it be over in 6 hours instead of 6 days.

Sleeping at night is the worst part! In my home I actually have road rash sheets for the bed. The ooze that comes out of you doesn’t clean out of your nice sheets. Clean the bed often.

Being sore the next morning is the worst part. You thought you felt bad during day 1? Wait till day2…. And day 3. After day 3 it usually starts getting better. Like any body trauma, you tend to feel sore all over. Moving around… even going for a spin on the trainer can really help get rid of that. Staying still and not moving in bed only prolongs it. If you’re REALLY sore and REALLY can’t move around, it might be a sign of something worse being wrong. With this incident, I felt 10 times worse at the beginning of day 3. I went and got checked out on day 2 and they said I was okay… just the usual. When I felt so bad on Day 3, I went back to see if they missed anything. They hadn’t. I was just really, really sore. Today is day 4 and I feel pretty good. I rode 25 miles yesterday and I’ll ride 40 today… just easy spinning. It keeps me loose and makes it easy to do the things I have to.

Okay. I’ve gone on way too long with this discussion. Please let me know what you do to deal with this stuff.

Hugs and kisses,

Pete

Topic

[OneEighth]

You are going to be stalked mercilessly by the Cat6ers on the ride home, my friend.

Excellent advice. I would add that your clothes will often abrade you as well when you use your backside as a brake, so remember to turn your gear inside out and give it a good cleaning.

This has been covered before, but having shaven legs helps with clean-up and care for roadrash on your lower half.

Random thought—if you have younger kids, letting them help with wound care is a good way to instill a strong sense of trust, lots of self-confidence, some empathy, and some toughness.

And, if your are unlucky enough to break your collarbone, opt for surgery.

Shiny side up!

[PrintError]

Yikes! Glad to hear you’re alright Pete. I took a shot this past winter on the ice when I tried to be polite and scoot over for a car coming up behind me. The pavement-to-2″-icepack transition snagged the bike and sent me to the ice at 20mph in a dead fall, landed straight on my right side. Didn’t hurt, so I jumped right back on the bike and continued the icy ride in to work.

Two days later I could barely walk, the bruise appeared about 12 hours after the accident, wish I’d taken a picture. Everything from belt to ankle on my right side was purple. Friggin OWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

[bikenurse]

Wow. Sorry to hear about your fall. I hate road rash… I am a health care provider (NP) and your advice is sound. When you dress your wound make sure to get telfa pads/non-stick pads. You do not want anything sticking to the wound. Ibuprofen/Aleve (any of the NSAIDS) work better than tylenol/acetaminophen because they have anti-inflammatory properties – and you really want to shut down inflammation. Shutting down your brain (narcotics like vicodan) help you cope. Not an advocate – just saying – if you need them (and have them) use them. Ice also decreases inflammation. But anything that touches the wound hurts like hell. When I’ve had road rash I’ve had to tent my covers – I can’t stand much of anything touching it. Once the oozing stops, then try to go without a bandage so the wound can start to dry out and heal. Think of this wound like a burn with a bruise… it’s going to take awhile to heal completely. Keep riding and keep the blood flowing!

[vvill]

Eeech sorry Pete. Really nice of you to save them from injury, and give them your leg bands.

I had a nice patch of road rash on my left hip after my crash in August (after buying my first road bike in July, great huh!).

I took [generic] vicodin for 3 days (for my broken arm – although my hips were the sorest and most painful part in the days following the crash), and I ended up coughing up the $ for a pack of hydrocolloid dressings (I got DuoDerm), mostly because I was sick of having to have the dressing changed so often. I don’t know if it made me heal faster and the scar still looks gnarly but it was a lot more comfortable putting on clothes, etc. and I could keep the dressing on for days at a time. I’m too much of a wuss to touch my own wounds a lot, luckily my wife was fine with helping me out there. Actually she had no choice since one of my arms was in a sling.

I slept on the couch during my recovery, firstly so I wouldn’t be disturbed by young-uns awakin’ and secondly so I could prop up my arm easier. Also made it possible to turn on a bad movie and pass out that way (no TV in the bedroom). The pain can make it harder to fall asleep.

[Dirt]

There is one more topic. In the winter time we’re often dressed up enough that instead of road rash, we get really deep bruises. They are the worst part. actually the lack of oozing is nice, but they can hurt just as much.

There is help, however. There is an herbal remedy called Arnica Gel. It feels good when you apply it and massage it in gently. The massaging part hurts like heck. I honestly don’t know if the Arnica does anything, but the time gently massaging the bruises over the time you are healing increases blood flow and helps work all the crap out of the bruised area. I’ve had great results.

I’ve seen it sold in privately owned/operated drug stores as well as health food/natural remedy stores. Tins of people in Europe swear by it.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for your thoughts and contributions. I love this community.

Pete

[StopMeansStop]

Carry some alcohol swabs in your pack to wipe down ASAP.

Though I disagree with you dressing. Use a generic triple antibiotic instead. The faster you get in on the wound the better.

[CCrew]

One word: Tegaderm.

Hope you heal quickly.

[mreyes2112]

I am glad you are OK! I see our ninjas runners friends too often. I am just glad on my commute I have no hairpin turns to worry about so with my 2/ SECA 400 lit I see them and they see me.

[skreaminquadz]

Sorry to hear Pete. Hope you heal up well. Luckily this didn’t happen last week! Also, thanks for sharing the great information in the post. Some of it is new to me so thank you!!

[Arlingtonrider]

I just read a whole series of recent articles about treating road rash. It sounds like the thinking has changed a lot recently, and that it might be a good idea to have a road rash kit assembled before it is needed. The local CVS might not have everything when you need it.

p.s. Dirt’s advice still sounds good, it’s just that the more recent articles emphasize the importance of not letting a scab form too quickly, and discuss the newer dressings, etc.

Pete, I hope all the “worsts” are well behind you now. You were a brave soldier yourself to make it to the happy hour so soon after the crash. We’re all wishing the best for you.

[americancyclo]

Hope you heal quickly Pete! Was this over by brandymore castle?

[5555624]

I picked up a tube of Arnica Gel at GNC. I’ve seen Arnica Creme at CVS.

Eating pineapples is supposed to help with bruises, too. They’re high in bromelain and I know people who say it helps, but I can’t vouch for it, since I don’t really care for pineapples.

[pfunkallstar]

NINJAS! AGAIN! Seriously though I hope you feel better. Tegraderm is indeed where “it” is at.

About ten years ago I was riding across the Memorial bridge when two kids from Oklahoma (or at least guessing so much by their t-shirts) were frolicking and frolicked right into the handlebar of my bike super sweet Cannondale. Despite the low-speed collision I ended up with ass-less chaps (literally) from the aggregate sidewalk. The awkward part was that I didn’t own a cellphone at the time so I had to walk over to some guys sunning themselves on the steps and borrow their phone while holding up said bloody pants – terrible. My friend picked me up and I threw on some Umbros that promptly stuck to the wound so badly that I had to soak in a bath tub to get them off.

Anyways, I concur on the winter falls, deep tissue trauma blows. Which is why that damn wooden boardwalk by TR island becomes the bane of my existence right around this time of year.

[Dirt]

I’m feeling quite good these days. Soreness is mostly gone. My elbow is still a little tender. The bruise really doesn’t hurt much, though the colors are still working their way to the surface. At some point in the next 4-5 days the bruise will stop growing and will start migrating toward my feet. Arnica Gel and massage help break that up so that I don’t end up with purple ankles filled with bruise crapola. Spending some time with my feet up every evening helps too.

[Tim Kelley]

I hear chocolate milk helps with all that too. Right??? Haahaha, I’ll be here all week folks!

[Author]

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