Abrasions have the image of being harmless. These wounds hurt for a while, are damaged and heal quickly. Yet practice often shows otherwise. This certainly applies to people with poor blood vessels (legs) and diabetics, but also to very healthy people. And children get scrapes all the time. Still, you have to be careful if it happens on the street, especially among adults who have not had a tetanus vaccination in the past five years. Even ‘innocent’ abrasions must be rinsed with water, disinfected and in some cases bandaged to prevent nasty infections. In principle, if a wound is contaminated with street dirt, it is better for the doctor to take a look at it to prevent worse.
Contents
- The abrasion – painful, bloody, superficial
- Symptoms
- An abrasion usually heals quickly
- Superficial wound
- Complications
- Treatment of an abrasion
- What to do
- Tetanus and vaccination
The abrasion – painful, bloody, superficial
The concept of a wound as a result of external, mechanical violence, by definition, occurs suddenly and is what is called a fresh tissue defect. In other words, it is an abrupt, violent disruption of the natural cohesion of the tissue. There are different types of external and internal wounds , each of which is created in a completely different way.
Plaster for superficial wounds / Source: OpenClipart Vectors, Pixabay
Symptoms
The three main symptoms of an abrasion are:
- Pain. After all, nerve endings are damaged.
- Bleeding, because capillaries have been cut. This is usually clearly visible in the abrasion itself. In a fresh wound, numerous blood spots form that emerge from the capillaries .
- An abrasion is usually superficial. So only the outer layer of the skin is gone.
An abrasion usually heals quickly
Abrasions occur regularly in everyday life, especially in sports. Anyone who has ever seen cyclists fall on the road, or been a victim of one themselves, knows how deep abrasions can be. However , most abrasions are superficial, with only the top part of the skin being ‘scraped away’, as the name suggests. They heal quickly and do not require any special care. In deeper abrasions, reaching into the subcutaneous connective tissue, the skin sometimes needs to be sutured after cleaning the wound.
Superficial wound
It is popularly said that only the deeper abrasions require good care. However, that is a misconception. Superficial abrasions should also always be cleaned to prevent inflammation, especially after a fall on the street or after accidents at work with tools and rusty materials, for example. Practice shows that this is sometimes played down. This can be dangerous , especially if it has been a long time since you had a tetanus vaccination.
Complications
The two main complications of an abrasion are:
- Inflammatory symptoms, such as redness ( rubor ), heat ( calor ), swelling ( tumor ), pain ( dolor ) and loss of function ( functio laesa ).
- Tetanus. This serious infectious disease is caused by the bacillus clostridium tetani .
First aid kit / Source: Stevepb, Pixabay
Treatment of an abrasion
In principle, a deep abrasion (visible subcutaneous connective tissue) is sufficient reason to go to the doctor. The wound may need to be sutured or otherwise receive special care. This also applies if the wound is contaminated with street dirt or if one works with rusty material that caused the abrasion.
What to do
The treatment of an abrasion is briefly as follows:
- Always wash your hands before touching the wound. Allow the abrasion to bleed for a while (this will remove dirt). Rinse the wound under the tap. Afterwards you can be almost certain that the wound is clean.
- Clean the skin around the abrasion. Do this with, for example, a piece of cotton wool and a disinfectant, such as betadine. Or simply with a washcloth, water and soap. It is often forgotten to wipe/swab when cleaning the wound (i.e. not towards the wound).
- Inspect the abrasion. Use tweezers to remove dirt and stones that have not been washed away. Is it a deep abrasion into the subcutaneous connective tissue? Then consider taking it to the doctor.
- Do not cough or sneeze over a wound. That alone can cause an infection. Pat the clean wound dry with gauze and disinfect the wound with iodine or betadine.
- Dress the wound with a non-stick compress. Never cover the wound with cotton wool, because the cotton fibers will adhere to the abrasion. Always cover the wound completely.
- Change the bandage every day (if necessary). Eventually a robbery ensues. Be wary of symptoms of inflammation, such as redness, swelling and pain. If you are unsure, always ask your GP for advice.
- The deeper the abrasion, the longer the healing process takes. A dry abrasion with a wound does not need to be bandaged. Please note that clothing and daily activities, for example, do not always scrape the roof open.
- If you have a dirty wound (street dirt), or if rusty material has been worked on, you may need a tetanus injection if it has been more than five years since you were vaccinated. You must go to the doctor for this. Remember that an untreated tetanus infection has a mortality risk of almost 30 percent!
Tetanus vaccine / Source: Jaytaix, Pixabay
Tetanus and vaccination
Tetanus is a serious infection. The pathogen is the clostridium tetani , a bacillus capable of spore formation. The infection is so serious that the vaccine against it is included in the vaccination schedule for children. It concerns an anaerobic bacterium. As a result, the microorganism can also be found in soil, manure and the like. Because the bacillus thrives in an oxygen-poor environment, it can also survive very well in deeper wounds, but also in abrasions that are contaminated with street dirt, soil and manure.
Symptoms of tetanus
Cramps (tonic and clonic) are the most noticeable symptom of a tetanus infection. Jaw lock and general stiffening are typical . The risus sardonicus (devil’s grin) may still be a concept that evokes all kinds of memories among older people who have experienced tetanus up close in times gone by and have seen people die from it. A tetanus vaccination does not provide lasting immunity, but must be repeated (active immunization).
read more
- How a cut (surgical wound) heals
- This is how you recognize inflammatory symptoms
- First aid for cuts and stab wounds
- First aid for hiker’s blisters
- Wound excision (wound toilet) for ragged, contaminated wounds
