Best tips for recovering from road rash?

tartysurfer

Well after nearly a year of riding, it finally happened. I was on an easy Sunday ride, caught in some light rain, all fine until I got to a downhill hairpin, braked in preparation, no real speed, but lost both wheels and down I went for my first off and resulting road rash!!! So now I have joined the club any recommendations for speeding up the recovery?? Btw, bike fine, bar a few scratches, but shredded my favorite bib shorts!!

diamonddog

TCP, stings a bit and REALLY strong smell. I use it for all sorts of cuts and grazes.

smiley_boy2501

Keep it wet. If it dries it hurts. A lot.

Bozman

Inadine dressing, you can buy them from a chemist in all sizes.

tartysurfer

Thanks, have found some dressing locally that is clear like a 2nd skin ( for burns, grazes etc), it keeps the wounds wet, so sounds like I just need to wait!!

kwi

A good sofa bound existence, remote in hand, SWMBO waiting on you hand and foot, with the odd gentle stroll to the local for 'group therapy'.

Lycra-Byka

I had some pretty horrific road rash this year down one leg. Happened the day before a holiday to Corfu. Because it was so hot out there and with limited medical supplies, the injury got very dry, which is agonising. It gets extremely painful at times.
When I got home I used to alternate the use of germolene and some e45 type moisturising cream every 3-4hrs. I didn't dress it but maybe should have I'm unsure. Although it never got infected, it seeped (a lot, ran down my leg!) and was scabbed over for about a month.
Like a true cyclist, I was back on the bike the next day-but probably caused more healing time in the process.

Good luck and remember that alchohol is a tried and tested anaesthetic that's been around for centuries!

navrig

Don't pick it!

sungod

use water or wound wash to get any dirt out

then apply a modern dressing like tegaderm (if it's not too weepy) or a hydrocolloid one (if it's deeper and there's more oozing going on) - if the area is large you may have trouble finding large dressings off the shelf, you can improvise weith smaller ones, but it's worth asking at the pharmacy counter as they may have larger ones available

the dressings stop the wound drying/scabbing - if that happens it'll take longer to heal and be more likely to scar

DexDexterBMX

Book in to see the nurse at the doctors.

Ask for Alluvin dressings. Some NHS type told me you couldn't buy these but no idea if they are right or wrong.

Leave it on.

You will smell like death but after 2 weeks skin will have grown over and there will never have been a scab.,

The dressing seems to suck all the badness out. My dressings went all dark and bloody but underneath all was well on the skin.

This was major rash as well on a lime surface BMX track.

Mikey23

I would go for the full operating theatre job. You never know, you might have concussion, internal injuries, broken bones, spinal injuries. Should qualify for an air ambulance at least... You have paid in after all. There must be someone you can sue. The council if you can't think of anyone else. There must be a pothole or loose gravel that caused it. Of course the ambulance chasers will be after you to get your whiplash and physio claim... The possibilities are endless ;-)

rolf_f

Hydrocolloid dressings from Boots. After about five days all you'll have to show for your road rash are red marks on your skin - and those will disappear completely after a few more days leaving no trace of a mark. They are absolutely brilliant. The dressing has a gel on it which goes soft as soon as it comes into contact with a weeping wound. That keeps the wound from scabbing over and that makes it repair much more quickly.

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Faster-Healing-Hydrocolloid-Dressings-Pack-of-5-Assorted-_1209211/

Welsh_sheep

The first time I crashed I was told to let it scab. Then a GP told me to stop it from scabbing and keep it moist. The latter was definitely more comfortable and a lot quicker to heal (less scarring too). Since then, everytime I've crashed i've tried to prevent scabbing, seems the best way to me.

ScreaminWargasm

Rolf F wrote:

Hydrocolloid dressings from Boots. After about five days all you'll have to show for your road rash are red marks on your skin - and those will disappear completely after a few more days leaving no trace of a mark. They are absolutely brilliant. The dressing has a gel on it which goes soft as soon as it comes into contact with a weeping wound. That keeps the wound from scabbing over and that makes it repair much more quickly.

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Faster-Healing-Hydrocolloid-Dressings-Pack-of-5-Assorted-_1209211/

A HUGE plus one for these dressings.

I had an off last year and used a "Tegaderm" dressing by "3M" on my elbow and forearm but couldn't find one large enough for my hip/thigh which thankfully wasn't as deep.
Anyway, the arm was kept wet with a yucky gunge under the dressing for about 5 days (I was sure it looked infected as was a bit itchey) but when removed, the wound was completely heeled other than being pink with new skin. This completely faded over a few weeks time and caused no pain at all.
However, the leg dried out under normal dressings and continuously cracked and re opened and therefore took forever to go and was also quite painful.

I always keep a stash of these in the cupboard now, just in case. Expensive and can be hard to find but are so worth the money.

Mick

tartysurfer

Welsh_sheep wrote:

The first time I crashed I was told to let it scab. Then a GP told me to stop it from scabbing and keep it moist. The latter was definitely more comfortable and a lot quicker to heal (less scarring too). Since then, everytime I've crashed i've tried to prevent scabbing, seems the best way to me.

Not sure I like the every time I crash bit

tartysurfer

ScreaminWargasm wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Hydrocolloid dressings from Boots. After about five days all you'll have to show for your road rash are red marks on your skin - and those will disappear completely after a few more days leaving no trace of a mark. They are absolutely brilliant. The dressing has a gel on it which goes soft as soon as it comes into contact with a weeping wound. That keeps the wound from scabbing over and that makes it repair much more quickly.

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Faster-Healing-Hydrocolloid-Dressings-Pack-of-5-Assorted-_1209211/

A HUGE plus one for these dressings.

I had an off last year and used a "Tegaderm" dressing by "3M" on my elbow and forearm but couldn't find one large enough for my hip/thigh which thankfully wasn't as deep.
Anyway, the arm was kept wet with a yucky gunge under the dressing for about 5 days (I was sure it looked infected as was a bit itchey) but when removed, the wound was completely heeled other than being pink with new skin. This completely faded over a few weeks time and caused no pain at all.
However, the leg dried out under normal dressings and continuously cracked and re opened and therefore took forever to go and was also quite painful.

I always keep a stash of these in the cupboard now, just in case. Expensive and can be hard to find but are so worth the money.

Mick

I seem to have found similar here in Hong Kong, so are and knee should be good. Will go looking for a bigger one for my hip before that badboy drys out

handful

Last time I had road rash I kept the scabs from drying out with Bach's Rescue Cream. Made a huge difference to the healing time. I was recommended it by my octogenarian Mum who obviously knows best!

brit66

As a former motorcyclist I can't understand why clothing manufacturers haven't thought about adding kevlar to the hip, elbow and knee areas. Kevlar is similar to wool in texture and thickness and while it might not be practical for summer wear, I could be for winter I reckon.

tartysurfer

brit66 wrote:

As a former motorcyclist I can't understand why clothing manufacturers haven't thought about adding kevlar to the hip, elbow and knee areas. Kevlar is similar to wool in texture and thickness and while it might not be practical for summer wear, I could be for winter I reckon.

I was pondering similar, possibly doable for cooler places, but here bibs and a short sleeve top are 'too hot' most of the year (good for keeping the weight off though). But as a friend reminded me I will heal and rule #4 applies

milese

I had an off on a tarmac section during a CX race on Sunday. Just went into the bend to enthusiastically, writing cheques that my tyres couldn't cash.

Got some road rash on the side of my calf and on my buttock, lost a load of skin from the front of my knee cap and also had a hole in the side of my knee. Got back on and fell of a few more times on it on the grass, so it was well caked by the end. Gave it a quick clean after the race and put some germaline on the rash, and iodine gauze on the hole and knee. Also tried to steristrip the hole, but give the skin loss around it they wouldnt stick.

Decided the following morning that it was worth a trip to MIU, as better to be overcautious than off the bike for too long. They pulled quite a big bit of gravel from the hole, and managed to steri strip it. For the other bits they caked them in Flamazine cream, literally used a whole tube, then gauzed and dressed them. My lower leg is fully bandaged up, but my buttock is harder to bandage, so just has a dressing taped on which is a bit loose. All sites had wept through within a few hours.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/skin-and-hai ... cream.html

I've got an appointment to go back tomorrow. Hope to be riding again after, depends mostly on the hole as that is right on the side of my knee and think cycling would constantly open and close it. The next problem is the weather, as dressings / wound will get soaking and caked, which cant be very good. Any suggestions on dealing with this?

laurentian

Aloe Vera

Velonutter

I had a nasty off at the end of July the week before the RideLondon, I was limping around the day before and bought some hydrocolloid from Boots on the Saturday afternoon, it felt so much better and I was able to ride the event albeit not as fast as I would have liked.

The only problem was that by the Monday I was in agony and my hip had become quite infected requiring antibiotics, even though I had scrubbed the wound the plaster trapped the infection, even now there are traces of dried scab still, so probably is brilliant if there is no infection, but not a good idea otherwise, my docs put on a silver plaster that didn't stick and helped it heal.