# Help heal my road rash



## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

So I was minding my own business flying down an Alpine slide (like a water slide with no water, on cement, and you're riding a little go cart thingy) when I crashed and burned and scraped up my left leg and knee pretty bad.

I was just getting into riding and am bummed cause I can't bend my left knee very well without stretching the scraped up area and it really hurting.

So - all you experts - any tips or tricks to speeding up the curing/healing of road rash, especially on a knee where the skin is always bending/stretching.

Thanks in advance!

Matt


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I'm still healing my own knee and elbow. Try these, they stay on through dripping sweat and immersion in water etc. Just follow the instructions and warm them up before you apply them.
Post a picture so we can see how bad it is and give further advice.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10316333


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

Here's a photo of it. I'll have to check out those healing pads. Thanks for the tip!


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

Sexy looking wounds! Keep it moist, only scrub the dirt out the first time, and show all your friends.


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

The wound occured about 3 days ago while in Colorado for a family reunion. I've been keeping it moist and clean but the pain is still bothering me a bit and I really wish it would heal faster. That's why I came here looking for tips!


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

cold shower...as cold as you can stand it. sleep with it uncovered, and keep fresh gauze on it during the daytime.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

I scrub the abrasion clean once, immediately and then keep covered with gauze, non-stick pads, and antibiotic ointment to keep it soft and lessen scarring and secondary infection.
Difficult to continue to ride when abrasion is across a joint and movement stretches it and hurts.


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## Becky (Jun 15, 2004)

This has been discussed before...do a quick search and you'll find a bunch of recommendations.

Those J&J Advanced Healing pads are great, btw!


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## NJcycler (Jun 18, 2009)

*my experience*

neosporin covered with a non stick bangage. I have some experince with this but my wounds were bike crash.


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## George M (Sep 25, 2008)

supermatt9 said:


> Here's a photo of it. I'll have to check out those healing pads. Thanks for the tip!



Mine was similar to yours and I used Neosporin and it did wonders. Good luck and I know just how you feel. I had 3 cracked ribs as well.


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## allison (Apr 19, 2006)

Becky said:


> This has been discussed before...do a quick search and you'll find a bunch of recommendations.
> 
> Those J&J Advanced Healing pads are great, btw!


Unfortunately they can sometimes be too small, and if you leave any of the wound exposed the bandage won't seal and it is gross when they "explode" and ooze 

My last scrape from a crash on my elbow I just let it dry out. I used to be big on covering with Telfa (it is truly the only thing I've found that doesn't stick - all other "non-stick" stuff does to me) and neosporin, but I'm not sure it is any better or worse than letting the wound dry out and scab over.


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Tegaderm is the best method.

Anything involving gauze/bandages and ointment is out of date now.


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## fluidEffects03 (Feb 17, 2007)

I have used 

2nd Skin by Advanced First Aid

for my road rash in the past.
It is a moist burn pad. Available at most drug stores. 
The pads are only 2x3 inches so you would have to get a few boxes, but will worth it.

Good luck in healing, that looks painful.


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

ewitz said:


> Tegaderm is the best method.
> 
> Anything involving gauze/bandages and ointment is out of date now.


Any ideas where I can get tegaderm locally? I have seen it online but haven't had any luck tracking it down locally. Any thoughts?

Thanks!


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Search on Hydrocolloid Dressing and look for the various brand names.

They are all similar. DuoDerm ExuDerm Tegaderm


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## Becky (Jun 15, 2004)

supermatt9 said:


> Any ideas where I can get tegaderm locally? I have seen it online but haven't had any luck tracking it down locally. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks!


Most drugstores (Rite Aid, etc.) carry it, but it's about $10 for 8 sheets. Online medical supply places should have it for less per sheet and in bigger quantities. I get mine in bulk from my insulin pump company


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## wiz525 (Dec 31, 2007)

My last crash, I used Tegaderm on one wound and the old gauze and ointment method on the other. The Tegaderm treated wound healed up crazily well, whereas the other took much longer and doesn't look near as well. 

I'll only use Tegaderm from now on.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

3d vote for the J&J stuff. Allison, if the wound is too big you can overlap them. They stick to each other well.

As for drying and scabbing, there's a considerable amount of research in favor of "wet" healing. Faster skin growth, and much less scarring, especially for large areas.


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

I agree with NJbiker - slather on the neosporin or whatever antibiotic ointment - there is a neosporin plus pain relief that is the shiz. Then cover with Curity Telfa pad(s) and wrap with JnJ Hurt-Free wrap to hold in place. That's my regimen and it works. Just replace the ointment and Telfa pads 2X/day and you can ride through it. The key is not letting it scab up or dry out completely.


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

I went to rite-aid and they had the tegaderm but the patches were so small. And they recommend that you have 1/2 inch of clean skin around the wound to put the patch on. With my wounds that would never work. So I got the J&J patches that was recommended and used 6 of them to cover everything up. We'll see how it works. They are sticking GREAT (slight overlapping of the pads to cover the whole area) except for the spot that's right on my knee. I'm having a hard time keeping that one stuck in place.

Anyone know where I can get some larger tegaderm pads for future use?


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

Also - are the johnson&johnson patches waterproof? Can I wear them in the shower or do I need to cover them up?


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

They are waterproof. I have worn them for two days like the instructions say. Through pants rubbing on them and showers they stay on. I have one on right now over my knee that's been there for over a day.
Just watch so the puss doesn't build up and blow the seal, it helps to leave an area to let it leak out.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

I don't do any of that stuff. I grab my 90% alcohol, soak a pad and then douse my wounds, screaming four letter words and then I keep them exposed to air, let them dry and scab over.

I might take some toilet paper and some hockey tape and cover them if I'm at a race. If I'm wearing pants later I just let them bleed through and take hydrogen peroxide to get the stains out of the pants later.


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## shoegazer (Nov 2, 2007)

Silvadene + Tagaderm has been the best remedy for me. I ask for a 'script of Silvadene every time I see a Dr just so I have some. Apply thinly with a tongue depressor then cover with the Tagaderm.
Best wishes for a speedy healthy recovery!


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

heathb said:


> I don't do any of that stuff. I grab my 90% alcohol, soak a pad and then douse my wounds, screaming four letter words and then I keep them exposed to air, let them dry and scab over.
> 
> I might take some toilet paper and some hockey tape and cover them if I'm at a race. If I'm wearing pants later I just let them bleed through and take hydrogen peroxide to get the stains out of the pants later.


Who the heck are you? Rambo?


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## Puchnuts (Oct 9, 2008)

Aloe Vera gel - available in most pharmacies - is an all-natural product that heals scrapes and such very quickly. It doesn't sting and is non-toxic. You'll be amazed.

Every cyclist should have bottle of this.


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## MarshallH1987 (Jun 17, 2009)

I usually clean it really well the first day or two then just keep it covered with neosporin until it forms that soft scab thing. After I put fresh neosporin on every morning and evening I cover that with a nonstick bandage so i don't pull off any more skin. By keeping it moist it won't crack open when you move.


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## Puchnuts (Oct 9, 2008)

Every product these days - from hand-soap to ground beef - is full of antibiotics. Which builds into your body a fantastic amount of immunity to these drugs. If you truly need them - they may well not work. What was a minor scrape becomes a month in the hospital getting an I.V. of Vancomycin. Neosporin is one of these. 

Use clean soap. And use Aloe Vera. Aloe came from the South Seas and was introduced to Captain Cook many years ago. The Islanders used it/discovered it due to their people diving for giant shell-fish among the very sharp coral-reefs. All scraped and bloody - the divers were rubbed with the Aloe Vera plant. And the wounds healed-up very quickly - with no scarification.

Give it a shout - before you end up another victim of Nurse Beastly and her Bed-Pan Band. And get the bloody antibiotics out of your medicine-cabinet. They can kill you - and they came close to killing my dad.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

supermatt9 said:


> Anyone know where I can get some larger tegaderm pads for future use?


I don't know about tegaderm pads, but when I had a major patch of road rash several years ago, I was able to get duoderm pads that were 6" x 8" at a specialty pharmacy that catered to geriatrics (I think that the large pads were designed for old people with advanced bed sores). They were very expensive (like $100+ for a box of four or five). You may be able to get them on the internet. If you need them very quickly, you probably will not be able to find them at your local Rite Aid/Walgreens type pharmacy. The kind of pharmacy I found them at is the kind of place that you will not find unless someone in the know tells you about it -- ask at the local hospital or nursing home if there is a specialty pharmacy in your area. As expensive as the large duoderm pads where, they were worth every cent. The wound where I literally ripped the shorts off of my body (I broke my shoulder as well) healed faster, with less pain and with less of a scar than the 2" x 2" patch of road rash on my arm from the same accident that I treated the traditional way with neosporin and gauze.


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## supermatt9 (Jun 7, 2009)

Just wanted to chime in and give props to the J&J Healing Pads. I had to use 6 of them to cover all the wounds. I took them off after 3 days and very nice progress had been made. I was able to recover all the wounds with only 4 pads and am excited to see the progress when I take them off on Wednesday.

The pads stay on when I'm in the shower or when I hop in the pool. I have gotten back on the bike as well and the pads do great.

Thanks for recommending them. I will use them again.

Matt


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## bubbha70 (Aug 8, 2004)

First of all, scars are cool.

Like some have said, Neosporin.

I've heard of Mederma, but I don't know if that's for scars or open wounds.


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## Le Wrench (May 12, 2009)

supermatt9 said:


> Who the heck are you? Rambo?


Rambo would extract the gun powder from a bullet and pour it over the would. Then light a match to and singe the wound to force an instant scab.


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## Eyorerox (Feb 19, 2008)

I use Comfeel plus transparent dressings, with or without tagerderm 

http://www.us.coloplast.com/ECompan...IEWDOCSBYID)/8ED817F167A3D50C412566BE00533F24


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## olr1 (Apr 2, 2005)

Wound healing is all about creating a moist environment to allow the development of a kind of tissue fluid soup over the wound site, this allows white blood cells to swim about eating up the bugs, and allows new skin cells to grow in a warm, moist, friendly environment.

You can pay for dressings like Tegaderm, but you can also be a cheapskate and use cling film (Saran Wrap? dunno, I'm not from round these parts...) secured with tape. Don't be scared by the apparently pus filled fluid that accumulates, and don't vigorously wipe it off, just stick new film over the area...


I've used it at work to cover skin graft donor sites...


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I am in the middle of healing some road rash on my knee right now. I was using the J & J pads, but I developed a rash right around the wound. Itches like crazy and it is red and bumpy. I thought they were great up until today, but maybe using them for 2 weeks was too long. The most I left each pad on for was 2 days.
Bah!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

nOOky said:


> I am in the middle of healing some road rash on my knee right now. I was using the J & J pads, but I developed a rash right around the wound. Itches like crazy and it is red and bumpy. I thought they were great up until today, but maybe using them for 2 weeks was too long. The most I left each pad on for was 2 days.
> Bah!



Sounds like you may have a sensitivity or allergy to something in the adhesive.

On the other hand, 2 weeks is way longer than recommended, and WAY longer than necessary, IME. Why did you use them so long? When I've used this method, I leave the pads on for 4 or 5 days continuously, as recommended, and when I take them off there's new skin covering the whole wound site -- no oozing, nothing open. There's no need for the bandage after that. At most, you might need a light dry covering to protect the new skin from abrasion.

Maybe applying and removing the sticky stuff every 2 days increased the irritation. They are designed to be left on until healing has progressed significantly.


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I guess my road rash was a bit deeper than normal. There was about a dime-sized piece of skin missing over the knee. It is gradually closing in. The whole thing has shrunk from about 3 x 3 to 2 x 2 inches as it heals. I probably should have went to the doctor, but I'm stubborn that way.


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## merckx_rider (Aug 20, 2008)

I go with the scrub it really good / clean it with peroxide when new.
for the first few days you need to keep it covered with non stick pads and antibiotic cream/ointments then uncover it during the days to let it start drying but keep it covered at night or you'll stick to the sheets. Road rash usually takes a couple weeks to heal.


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