Forum search & shortcuts

Stitches needed or ...
 

[Closed] Stitches needed or Domestos, duck tape and man up? Pics of wound spoiler

Posts: 18221
Full Member
Topic starter
 
[#11973533]

I did a half hearted double today. It didn't end well. Thought I'd broken ribs as I smashed myself into the landing but don't think I have.

What I do have is about a 20mm gash to my shin from a pedal.

Fairly sure I can see what looks like bone inside it.

I smooshed some alcohol hand gel in there as that's what I had in the van, and have cleaned it with an antiseptic wipe.

I'm really loathe to go to A&E at the moment so thought a poll on here would be better.
I've been on hold for 111 for aaaages so am thinking A&E will be ten times worse!

Stitches needed, or wash it out with some Mucoff or something then steristrip it up and get on with it?


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:20 pm
Posts: 17336
Full Member
 

Stitches. Or wash it out properly and get some serious Steristrips on it a s proper dressings.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:22 pm
Posts: 6318
Full Member
 

Wash and tape it...

Not a doctor caveat utilized


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:23 pm
Posts: 3923
Full Member
 

Superglue


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:24 pm
Posts: 9284
Full Member
 

Superglue

Yeah but surgical superglue. 151 out the pound shop is not the type you use, not unless you want to poison your leg 😆


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:33 pm
Posts: 3623
Free Member
 

Electrical tape is better than gaffer tape.

I'd be tempted to get that looked at and maybe a tetanus shot.

Although I'm the worlds worst for avoiding such things.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:34 pm
Posts: 3032
Free Member
 

Put a sticker over it - it will be fine ...
Maybe shave your leg first?


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:38 pm
Posts: 33257
Full Member
 

A&E, minor injuries unit, urgent treatment centre or whatever it's called near you - having been 2-3 times since the pandemic started between me cycling and daughter netballing, I'd have no qualms about getting it checked, as much to make sure it's properly clean as properly closed up to heal better.

In fact, Dave at Ilkeston MIU/UTC is practically on my Christmas card list, seen him more during lockdown than a lot of proper mates


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:39 pm
Posts: 3685
Free Member
 

Pritt Stick get it looked at.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:44 pm
Posts: 17857
Full Member
 

Minor injuries clinic I'd have thought.

If you don't wanna do that, then clean well & steri-strips at the very least.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 4:55 pm
Posts: 3327
 

My partner has cleaned out and steri stripped bigger! Need to get it really really clean, wash it with loads of water, get it to close with steri strips, and then go to your local dr with a treatment room if it gets red or swollen because it’ll need antibiotics. A&E if you get shivery or a temperature. It might need debriding if it gets infected, which isn’t nice. Again, my partner has done that himself many times 🤢 The American healthcare system makes you rather self reliant! Neither of us are drs…


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:09 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I love the Jimmy LeVan video Go Fast Pull Up - he always carried a suture kit with him because for diy repairs because it was easier than going to hospital


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:30 pm
Posts: 3276
Free Member
 

Plant some cress in it and grow a nice accompaniment to an egg sandwich.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:45 pm
Posts: 7935
Free Member
 

Another flush out and steri-strip vote from me.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 5807
Free Member
 

If you can close it with tape I'd be inclined to do that. As above though, clean it very thoroughly. I went to A&E with several bigger cuts than that (V12s with terror pins) and a nice nurse took what looked like a fine scrubbing brush to them before stitching them up. Stitches can be problematic over the bony part of the shin because there's so little tissue to stitch through securely - about half of mine just pulled through the edge of the cuts after a few days.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:52 pm
Posts: 66127
Full Member
 

dyna-ti
Free Member

Yeah but surgical superglue. 151 out the pound shop is not the type you use, not unless you want to poison your leg 😆

The only really practical differences are that surgical superglue is a little bit more flexible, and isn't exothermic- but for cuts and closures it doesn't really matter in the amounts you use, even normal superglue doesn't heat up much. You want to be using it externally, not getting it in the wound so the slight difference in toxicity shouldn't be an issue (or, put it a different way, if you as a civilian are going to apply it so badly that it does become an issue, you shouldn't be using either sort...)

If you want to get the proper stuff, vetinary superglue is just as good as human surgical superglue and way cheaper and easier to find, btw


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 5:54 pm
Posts: 18221
Full Member
Topic starter
 

My partner has cleaned out and steri stripped bigger!

Come on! It's huge but it's just far away in the picture. 😉

Currently sat in minor injuries awaiting a scrub. Thought I'd better not risk me leg falling off, though I was all ready to just tape it up to be fair.

I did the exact same thing to my shin years ago landing a jump at Chicksands, except that one was way worse and defo needed stitches/taping/medical attention.

Flat pedals innit.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:02 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Clean it with saline, clean it more, steristrip, inadine dressing, then non adherent dressing over the top.

Keep an eye on it and go to a quack if it keeps bleeding, gets red, hot, weepy etc.

To be honest though having had one go wrong, nowadays I'd probably just pop to A&E.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:23 pm
Posts: 13356
Free Member
 

Girl.
My mate was out practicing for a Sunday motorcycle trial one Saturday years ago. He was just messing about & wasn’t wearing his NCB wellies, which we wore cos they were waterproof, reinforced on the shin area, steel toe caps & a steel plate under the sole & more importantly usually free as long as you knew someone who worked for the NCB. His foot came off the footpeg as the full weight of his Ossa MAR came backwards & dragged the steel footpeg down his shin down to the bone. He showed me next day at the trial. It was a good 6” long gash. He still road the trial though.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:35 pm
Posts: 3332
Full Member
 

risk me leg falling off

At least you’d be able to make a great pirate peg leg!


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:41 pm
Posts: 10337
Full Member
 

Another flush out and steri-strip vote from me

I tend to only carry water in my water bottle just for that reason.  If I get a big cut in the middle of no-where I don't want to be washing it out with isostar 🙂


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:45 pm
Posts: 2884
Free Member
 

Man up.

Having had many similar and spending waaaay too much time in A&E as a youth I’d now just scrub it out with a nail brush, slather it with germolene and cover it up.

A couple of days later I’d just get it out and make sure it got plenty of sun and air.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 6:56 pm
Posts: 18221
Full Member
Topic starter
 

. He showed me next day at the trial. It was a good 6” long gash. He still road the trial though.

To be fair I did just pull me socks up and go and ride some more trails.

Anyway, 2 stitches. Job done. 😊👍


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 7:18 pm
Posts: 10749
Full Member
 

Good result. The problem with shins is there's not a lot of blood flow (you might disagree!) And healing can take forever. Or longer.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 7:45 pm
Posts: 10283
Full Member
 

I’d have done the same - in 2018 I left something I thought was clean and got an infection that stuck me in hospital for a week on iv antibiotics. Now get anything meaningful cleaned out at minor injuries - but always wear knee pads these days as that’s what I mostly seem to bash


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 8:35 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've done similar but a few inches to the side, mine had a bit of yellow fat hanging out and what looked like a ittle bit of uncooked bacon, surprisingly hardly any blood, I rinsed it thoroughly then TCP, steri stripped then wrapped in a bandage, if it looks like it heeling well and not angry after a day or two you're all good.
But if you're a southerner go straight to A&E 😀


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 9:11 pm
 feed
Posts: 933
Full Member
 

I'm the worst in the world for avoiding A&E etc but I'd want that sorted out professionally. Possibly some anti biotics to go with the stitches.


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 9:33 pm
Posts: 9915
Full Member
 

Clean out and surgical superglue would have sufficed for me. Done daughters thumb and Kevin's arm and hand recently with no side effects.

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 24/07/2021 9:52 pm
Posts: 9284
Full Member
 

Nasty bit of road rash there. I know that, had an off many moons ago and slid down the road propped up on one elbow 😆


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 11:43 am
Posts: 17336
Full Member
 

Nothing like a good scrub of road rash with a nail file in the shower. Then Tegaderm FTW!


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 12:25 pm
Posts: 18221
Full Member
Topic starter
 

I've got road rash like that down my arm too along with very painful ribs but the deep gash was what I wasn't sure warranted medical expertise or not.

When I got back to the van I slapped a good dollop of alcohol hand gel into the wound too.

Sweet mother of Jesus and Mary Chain and All Saints! 😳😳😳


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 12:32 pm
Posts: 5807
Free Member
 

A couple of days later I’d just get it out and make sure it got plenty of sun and air

That's the old-fashioned view, more modern thinking is to keep it covered and moist if you want it to heal quickly with the least amount of scarring.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 12:44 pm
Posts: 408
Free Member
 

Based on my none medical experience I would say you will just about get away with cleaning it up and then taping it together, if you can get hold of those butterfly stitch things brilliant


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 12:59 pm
Posts: 2229
Free Member
 

Had worse when a teenager and just left it to heal

These days if i think its bad then i take a trip to the local walk in centre

Id only go to A&E if it was something very serious like a limb hanging off!


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 1:21 pm
Posts: 13349
Free Member
 

Sweet mother of Jesus and Mary Chain and All Saints!

Can't have been that bad as no baby donkey mentioned!


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 2:29 pm
Posts: 13531
Full Member
 

A&E is pretty quiet at the moment, though that injury won’t be too of their priority list so you’ll likely have a wait anyway.

Personally, I’d be cleaning and taping it. But then the state of my shins suggests that my approach does tend to lead to extensive scarring.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 2:51 pm
Posts: 18221
Full Member
Topic starter
 

The minor injuries lady reckoned that steristrips wouldn't work too well on a shin as the skin is too taught. Hence the stitches.

She must have jabbed a needle in and around the wound about ten times for the local anaesthetic.

She then did the stitches which was what, 4 jabs?
She may as well have not done the anaesthetic and saved me a few jabs! 😂


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:01 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I'd have got that sutured, looks a bit deep. What did you do in the end? As I guess it's too late now.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:03 pm
Posts: 2884
Free Member
 

That’s the old-fashioned view, more modern thinking is to keep it covered and moist if you want it to heal quickly with the least amount of scarring.

Mmmmm, not sure how your way corresponds with the maxim “chicks dig scars…” 😂

That said, recently when my hernia wound was seeping puss the hospital told me to get it out in the sun, as the UV will kill the bugs. I think best advice depends on what day of the week we’re on.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:16 pm
Posts: 13592
Full Member
 

From my enormous experience but no medical training

1) Flood wash it with clean water to ensure there is no grit or nasty stuff inside.
2) Squirt a blob into the hole and put a small dressing over it with some cotton wool behind - The dressing is to prevent the cotton wool getting into the wound.
3) sticky plaster / tape tight across the wound to pull the two edges together. The cotton wool should push down on the wound so the edges stay pushed together from above.
4) Leave 24 hours and remove carefully.
5a) If red and puffy ignore steps 1-4 and go the A&E yesterday or as soo as practical
5b) If it seem okay and has started to heal or close up then repeat steps 2 - 4 but with Vaseline instead of Savlon to promote healing and reduce scarring.

Change dressing each 24 hours until closed. Apply Vasaline for a few days after you have stopped the dressing to keep it from drying, pulling and itching as much.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:32 pm
Posts: 13592
Full Member
 

If it starts opening up and your insides bulge out like this one then it is time for a trip to A&E

You can just about see where the original tape was across the widest part but the split just pulled it apart.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:35 pm
Posts: 9108
Free Member
 

If you want to get the proper stuff, vetinary superglue is just as good as human surgical superglue and way cheaper and easier to find, btw

Other way round for laxatives, human stuff is loads cheaper and more readily available than cat stuff.
Not suggesting that for the OP by the way, I can't see it helping much


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 3:47 pm
Posts: 66127
Full Member
 

TiRed
Full Member

Then Tegaderm FTW!

Tegaderm is the absolute bollocks isn't it. Keeps it clean, helps it heal, stays on pretty well, and has incredibly disgusting goo. It's perfect.


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 4:17 pm
Posts: 44823
Full Member
 

That needs steristrips at a minimum Its full thickness and gaping.

personally I would steristrip it and put a film dressing over it and leave for a week untouched.

You would not be wrong to go to minor injuries with it tho


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 5:01 pm
Posts: 5164
Free Member
 

Minor Injuries as other say, will be seen in less than an hour and be home for tea, you go to A&E and you might as well just take a blanket, just a big waiting game, that gets even longer every time you see a kid coming in with a sore tummy


 
Posted : 25/07/2021 7:16 pm
Page 1 / 2