[locustfist]

Got chopped by some clown in first race of the season (he took out 5 riders).

Haven't had a road rash like this in a while. Gimme your best tips/products for taking care of this bad boy.

The deep one on my hip

the full kit

 

[wassler]

Sorry to hear you hit the road badly.

I hope you went to see the first aid post at this race.

If I remember my first aid courses well I guess ther's not much you can or should do on it. Just wash out and disinfect the wounds thouroughly. if possible (when there's no risk of new dirt getting in there) leave the wounds uncovered so that it can dry out and that a little crust can form on it. the crust will protect the wound properly. Then you'll have to let nature do it's work.

Kind regards,

 

[Used2Run]

"If you get a dose of road rash, assess the severity of the wound and if it’s larger than your palm, consider a trip to an A&E or Minor Injuries Unit." An Urgent Care or similar place could teach you a lot about how to deal with this. After looking at the second pic again, I would seriously consider getting someone else to clean it out for you at first and then go from there. If you're as hard headed as me though...

Health: How To Deal With Road Rash - BikeRadar

Basically, don't scrub it or use hydrogen peroxide. If you have something that you can squirt water into it to clean it out with, do that. Pat it try after washing it out with some soap and warm water. I would probably hang out commando for a while or in something that won't touch your hip if possible and maybe put some gauze over it before bed so you don't turn on it and tear it some more. Change the gauze in the morning. With something like that, I would change it pretty frequently so that you don't scab into it. Damn is that going to hurt in the shower...

 

[Peter P.]

I know it's too late, but it wouldn't hurt to assemble a "cyclist's first aid kit" to carry to races. I'll bet that's one item most racers DON'T bring to events. If you google "cyclist's first aid kit" you'll get some good lists of what to carry as well as some pre-packaged kits. Obviously, don't forget to restock when you use it.

The usual treatment is to bandage the wounds and change the dressings daily. Put some antiseptic on the gauze which contacts the wound. Keeping the gauze moist will prevent it from sticking, which can make removal painful. It'll speed up healing and will keep you from picking at the scabs. Another reason to cover the wounds is if they're left exposed, they'll ooze or bleed on your clothing.

 

[Mike T.]

You need to get Tegaderm wound dressings and follow the directions explicitly. I got mine from Walmart where they didn't make me buy the whole $30 box. Read up on Google about it.

 

[love4himies]

Ouch! that looks painful. I hope you find something that will keep infection out.

 

[locustfist]

Our team keeps a well stocked kit on hand...got a saline wash right away

 

[looigi]

Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date (within the past 10 years).

 

[mrcookie]

I know it's too late, but it wouldn't hurt to assemble a "cyclist's first aid kit" to carry to races. I'll bet that's one item most racers DON'T bring to events. If you google "cyclist's first aid kit" you'll get some good lists of what to carry as well as some pre-packaged kits. Obviously, don't forget to restock when you use it.

The usual treatment is to bandage the wounds and change the dressings daily. Put some antiseptic on the gauze which contacts the wound. Keeping the gauze moist will prevent it from sticking, which can make removal painful. It'll speed up healing and will keep you from picking at the scabs. Another reason to cover the wounds is if they're left exposed, they'll ooze or bleed on your clothing.

I wouldn't let it dry out. It will heal much faster if kept moist! You can buy tegaderm or similar dressings, but I would just keep a thin film of Vaseline and cover with a 4x4.
When I was younger, I'd get 2-3 of those a year from softball in shorts, and this is what I settled on as fastest healing and most soothing.
Instead of Vaseline you could also use neosporin, but IME it drys out faster and you need to change the bandage more often.

 

[nOOky]

I use something like this Johnson & Johnson Tough Pads Hydrocolloid Adhesive Pads | Walgreens you want to keep it moist and leave it on as long as the package recommends. You want to keep it moist and let it protect it these work pretty well.

 

[scottzj]

Well I have posted this before in the past but go to your doctor and ask to get the Silvadene cream prescription. Its is used mainly for burns but is extremely helpful in healing road rash. These below pictures are within a couple weeks of healing time and most important is, it keeps the wound moist and healing. Just use the non-stick pads on top and heal up my friend!.

 

[doggatas]

Similar thing happened to me 2 weeks ago although mine was caused by a tire blowout at 60km/h. Healing photos were taken exactly one week after the incident.

Had road rash on the lower front of right leg as well, which wasn't that bad so I just left that one heal itself.

Affected areas were cleaned out thoroughly, saline and sterile wipes.

All other road rash areas I used gelonet (gauze with vasoline type stuff embedded into it) directly on the wound, gelonet was covered with non-adhesive absorbent dressing (to soak up the puss) and then followed by a bandage to keep it all in place.

First 3 days it was changed daily and after that every second day.

Interesting that the minor graze on the leg is still healing(scabbed up) yet the other grazes I dressed are all healed.

Keep it clean and moist and you'll be healed in no time.

 

[Kerry Irons]

I wouldn't let it dry out. It will heal much faster if kept moist! You can buy tegaderm or similar dressings, but I would just keep a thin film of Vaseline and cover with a 4x4.

Agreed - you should never let a scab form. When the wound is new it is best to use antibiotic ointment to be sure that no infection starts up. Non-stick pads or something like Tegaderm over the ointment will soak up the inevitable oozing. You can use either medical tape or some of that "fishnet" tube to hold the bandages in place. Every day in the shower lather it up with soap and very light scrubbing to remove dead tissue and any road junk that got imbedded. In two weeks you'll have pink skin.

 

[Mike T.]

Non-stick pads or something like Tegaderm over the ointment will soak up the inevitable oozing.

Tegaderm soaks up nothing. It lets the wound marinate in its own juices (the dressing is left on for days) and stays totally moist. A scab does not form and the wound heals from the inside while never drying out.

I dealt with a wounds nurse that I know over my hip road rash.

 

[doggatas]

Depending on the amount of oozing, you may not be able to use a second skin (Tegaderm) type of dressing in the early days of healing. Think of it like a pimple building pressure. Yuk, I know.

 

[carbonLORD]

3M Burn Pads. I changed them daily and was healed with new skin in 4 days, no scaring.

 

[Mike T.]

Depending on the amount of oozing, you may not be able to use a second skin (Tegaderm) type of dressing in the early days of healing. Think of it like a pimple building pressure. Yuk, I know.

That's not the info I was given from the wounds nurse.

 

[bruce_wayne]

I've gotten pretty good results with the J&J Tough Pads Hydrocolloid at Walmart mentioned by nooky above. Seemed to be good value for the $. It took about 2 weeks using 2 pads to get new pink skin without a scab forming. I would get a little drainage from the pads so I had a paper towel nearby to catch the ooze. I think you'll be happier if you can avoid the scabbing (and re-scabbing) process on that scrape on the hip, esp. if you're itching to get back on the bike in a few days. Hope you heal up fast!

 

[RaptorTC]

I'll definitely echo the not letting it scab remarks. Every time I've let a wound scab its left me with a pretty nasty scar, not to mention taking a while to heal up.

In other news, I have the same shoes that you're wearing in the picture.

 

[JCavilia]

I've gotten pretty good results with the J&J Tough Pads Hydrocolloid at Walmart mentioned by nooky above. Seemed to be good value for the $. It took about 2 weeks using 2 pads to get new pink skin without a scab forming. I would get a little drainage from the pads so I had a paper towel nearby to catch the ooze. I think you'll be happier if you can avoid the scabbing (and re-scabbing) process on that scrape on the hip, esp. if you're itching to get back on the bike in a few days. Hope you heal up fast!

Another vote for hydrocolloid. It will take a lot of them, overlapped, to cover that much territory, so it will be kind of expensive. But they should last for a few days, and healing will be fast. They are much better than the original Tegaderm for big oozy wounds like that, because the adhesive soaks up the moisture and expands into a gel pad, rather than just trapping it like Tegaderm does. They are also tougher and stick better.

There are multiple brands of hydrocolloid dressings, including drugstore brands and a Tegaderm version. They all work about the same IME, though the J&J Tough Pads seem to stay on better because they're stretchier and more flexible.