coming soon ...a guide to treating roadrash

[mccutch2u]

I will be writing on here at a later date a detailed guide to treating roadrash without the pain..........Now I am not saying that it will not be painful because this was the most painful thing that i have encountered........but the pain is minimized greatly............with awesome results ........but you will have to consult your doctor since i am not one and we all react to treatments differently

[DK]

A great subject for the community....

I'll add my 2 cents on this one ....

If it happens in a hospital it's happened to me and many of us I am sure....

I have always found supplementing high doses of zinc as well as immune system boosters such as Olive leaf extract, Garlic, flax seed oil and essential omega 3 will speed up the healing.... Once the injury is closed (no longer a scab type) cocoa butter will help soften the skin and help aid the healing...

I have used cocoa butter to facial road rash and it did my face justice... It took about 12 weeks to heal in it's entirety .... It left me with no scar.... The only evidence is where the hair in my beard does not grow on the right side of my face ..... (Funny as hell)

Also noteworthy is that smoker's will heal a lot slower than non-smoker's...
Nicotene will slow down the healing of any injury as it takes at least 2 hours from your last cigarette for the nerve endings to repair themselves ....

Also get a rating of how high the potential for infection is from your doctor... Many will prescribe you an anti-biotic pill(not cremes or topical stuff).... You should also record the antibiotic used or prescribed by the doctor in the event you choose to use it.... Many doctors will prescribe a sledgehammer style antibiotic when a rubber mallet style will do just fine...
A lot of doctors have or will prescribe cipro for serious roadrash, which is what people were treated with for Anthranx !!!!! If you crash often enough such as yours truly your immune system will soon produce enough antibodies to fight off the antibiotic after the wound has healed.The next time the same antibiotic is prescribed you will have built up an immunity to the drug !!!!!!!!

It's useless to aid in any new infection once the body has become immune!!

It will then be useless when you need it most in your old age !!!!!!!!!!!!

Many local doctors will tell you this is not the case, but do your homework before popping any pills ....This evidence is ever present in many medical journals..... I was prescribed 18 weeks worth of antibiotics when a persistent infection(supposed infection) would not go away.... It was only later determined that all my symptoms were related to an overgrowth of candida(fungus)......My body had lost all the good bugs to help digest certain foods.... The antibiotic will strip you clean of any pro bacteria your body has.... This stuff does not put up any kind of trial, it's just plays the role of judge, jury and "terminator"...... It's complete genocide of all the good bacteria your body needs..... So if your taking antibiotics take anything that will boost white blood cells and steer clear of proteins.....Eating proteins will encapsulate white blood cells and will not allow them to do the job they are needed to do.... You would also be wise to steer clear of anything made with wheat or candida.....ie bread, beer, pasta, raw vegetables, left overs, condiments at the restaurant, fruit juices, processed sugar.... You should now eat almost as if you are a diabetic...
Supplementing your diet with pills is no fun and very expensive !!!!!!
It is a must if hope to steer clear of candida related alergies...

You should be able to consume lots of grains, nuts, legumes, cooked vegetables and small portions of meat .....Plain yogurt for acidophillous... I tried to test myself form time to time and would fail only adding to the time it took to heal properly ....

I took off an entire season of racing in 1998 because I had spells of dizziness and I had no endurance or genuine strength.... All because
of an overgrowth of candida related to the over prescription of antibiotics....


Take my advice and do your own research when it comes to medicine/drugs and the fashion in which they are prescribed .....

The doctor's get paid to practice and they never have the entire picture when their practice is so minute and specialized.... They get payed reguaurdless of whether or not they have been sucsessfull in your healing..... Do your own homework and you'll be richer and wiser .....

Your supplements can be found at GNC and Earth Fare or any other organic foods store....

As for treatment at roadside accidents, try and keep a small first aid kit onboard the bike as you never know just how far from the hospital you will
end up during that Sunday ride....

"Be smart, Ride Smart, Be prepared"

I'll spare you how to use the first aid kit ..............................................

I have also noted in some of the repair service I have been provided from certain hospitals they will leave gravel in the skin as it is artificial damage and is reffered to as tattooing.... If you have cleaned your wound out and there is no black stain in the tissue or sub-dermal layer than do not sacrifice any skin that may have asphalt in it if that skin can be used to close the wound...The asphalt stained skin will eventually die off and the
gravel will eventually push it's way through when the skin grows back .....

Do not rip off or tear skin that can be used to cover the wound until a doctor can determine to do so ..... Sterilize it as best you can .... The least exposure to Ozone the better!!

I am sure many people have their own homeopathic remedies and I hope to hear them ....

My 2 Cents....

:wave:

[SUM650]

There is nothing like hearing it from someone who has been there and done that before!

[crash]

If you have a open wound, don't let some fools tell you that it can be stitched later (Valdosta hospital). If it is not closed within 8 hours you have to let it heal from the inside out. Just heeard about this though, right Barry?

[SUM650]

Yea I think Steve knows a thing or two about crashing!

[mccutch2u]

okay here is the short version....................First to avoid needing the info in this thread....WEAR YOUR GEAR, HELMET GLOVES BOOTS JACKET AND AT LEAST JEANS AND NOT THE BS GAP JEANS GET SOME CARHARTS OR DRAGGIN JEANS THE GAP TYPE JEANS WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT THAN WEARING DRESS PANTS OR KHAKIS

BEFORE I START CHECK WITH YOUR DR FIRST AS WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME

Now if you do go through the horrific thing called roadrash start with an IV injected pain killer at the hospital. Before they scrub tell them to use a ladicane creme mix on the rashed area. It will hurt like hell going on but you will not feel a thing during the scrub which otherwise would be the worst pain you could imagine. Next if you hit your head and you suspect ANYTHING wrong request further eval such as a cat scan. And make sure that they do a thorough evaluation on all areas of pain. And as mentioned earlier in this thread for the lacerations they may or maynot stitch it if it is full of debris and deep like mine they will not because it will increase the risk of infection. But if it is a clean cut then they should stitch it within a few hours.


Now for recovery, with the rash the best thing is to keep it from scabbing up. You can accomplish this by keeping it moist . A moist wound will heal 30% faster than a dry scabbed wound. And it will swcar a whole lot less. What you will want to use is called Viscopaste. This is a guaze type cloth that has a Zinc base medication in it. You will put this over the wound by layering it on top about six or seven times. Then wrap it in gauze. Do all of this after you have cleaned the wound with a antibacterial soap and tap water, DO NOT USE WELL WATER. Also do not clean with peroxide or any other thing like the such because it cleans everything including the cells or whatever is there to help heal the area faster. Be sure to take you pain medication about an hour before doing any of the above mentioned stuff. Also there is a creme that is prescription only call mupuricin that works very well. Barry mention Silverdene and i asked about it and was told that the murpuricin was better but be sure to check with your dr.

Also for the antibiotic besure to get it as soon as you can so that you can immediately tart taking it and if it dosn't seem to work contact you Dr. Also if you start getting hot and cold spells that is a sign of infection check your tempature




More to come later.................................

[mccutch2u]

also there are people that specialize in wound care ................if you need i can refer you to that girl that did mine and it has been healing faster than anyone expected

[Nash]

I hate it for you guys that had to go thru that.

[JAFO]

So after my down, I had a bad case of road rash on my right knee. It was so bad that the next day I couldn't really bend the knee if I'd been sitting for a bit. Had to work out the stiffness, then keep moving it.

Did some research-- a simple google search referenced in my initial post- and found a sports medicine site that said to ignore the typical advice, which is "let nature take it's course. clean it, apply iodine, peroxide, or the like, and let it scab and nature take it's course". Of course, this is left open to the air, save for a gauze bandage or similar. And, when the scab needs to stretch when you bend your leg, cracks and hurts like a sonofagun. Did this for the first 3 days and it was clearly getting infected, even with application of neosporin. It was very red and sensitive around the edges, and warm to the touch-- all the indicators of infection setting in.

The new approach is the closed approach: frequent cleansings and the application of topical antibiotics and dressings that keep the road rash moist and PREVENT scab formation.

I kinda combined the two, and did the following:

-let the wound soak in a tub of warm but not hot water. Too much of a temperature differential above or below body temperature will agravate the wound. :et it soak till the scab is soft and has gone back to the exudate (soft white slimy film) stage.

-carefully remove the exudate by use of q-tips which have been matted down with application of neosporin. This keeps the cotton strands of the swab mostly isolated and prevents them from getting into the wound, while simultaneously applying antibiotic to the area you're exposing

-when out of the bath, pat the area dry with a clean towel. Apply a liberal application of Neosporin

-bandage the area. Good: non-stick dressing like Vasoline gauze or similar. Depending on the area, wrap conforming gauze around the area or tape in place. Better: a moisture-barrier covering such as Tegaderm, Bioclusive, or Second Skin. This covers the wound, keeps it dry and moist, and speeds healing. It's best to go to the "Better" bandages after a few days when the wound stops weeping. A gauze covering as "Good", above, will absorb fluids and prevent staining of clothes and furniture, while letting the wound breathe much better and avoiding problems with anarobic bacteria.

- for joints, especially- wrap the joint with an Ace bandage to support the underlying structures and minimize swelling.

I was having a problem with swelling and tenderness in my knee due to the scabbing and infection from the "oldschool" way. I literally hobbled into the pharmacy, bought the stuff to do what I've written here, applied it in the parking lot (I keep surgical gloves in my truck, and a full aid kit) with lots of neosporin, and then walked around normally immediately after. I probably took a little impact damage to the patella and other knee structures, so this may not be indicated for wounds that haven't received blunt trauma..

alcohol and peroxide are fine for the initial cleanse- if nothing else is available..

but to continue to use them after that initial care is a bad thing. They both will set back the process of epithelialization-- formation of new skin layers-- actually destroying the new cells as they're formed. I'm following established medical information from medical professionals here- so no, I'm not trying to pass myself off as a medic.

keeping the site moist by way of soaking and neosporin/raw not crystalized or pasteurized honey/other antibiotic and covering with a breathable and waterproof bandage is the best way to go about it. This alone does away with much of the pain of the wound by way of not allowing the scab to rip apart- if it's not dry, it can't rip!

Clean, soak, dry, antibiotic, cover <-- that's the way I've healed so fast. My rash is 95% gone, within 2 weeks of injury.. I can even kneel on the knee, directly on the wound, now, if I'm careful-- I had to earlier when working on a friend's jeep axle. There's one spot that is still tender, but it's probably going to be fine tomorrow afternoon.

If the wound is on a joint- and it's likely to be, since it's roadrash and stuff that bends tends to get dragged the worst- you may want to wrap the site same as you would for a sprain or hyperextension. That's something to try, but I sure can't suggest it'll work for everyone. Wrapping my knee made a huge difference, personally. Just that, applied at work, made the immediate difference between hobbling about and walking normally. YMMV, but give 'er a try.

Also-- the honey thing for anticritter use-- while it's certainly not the norm, it does work. Remember, before the advent of big drug companies, they were using honey to treat open wounds (such as amputations in the American Civil War, and innumerable other issues) for thousands of years. While yes, this was a matter of making due with what they had-- they made due with it because it worked. But it has to be non-pasteurized. The high heat treatment of pasteurization kills off the enzymes and other beneficial components.

BTW- cinnamon works well for minor cuts and abrasions, as well. stops the bleeding and relieves the pain. (now the honey and cinnamon side of medicine here-- I'm much more an expert in this area Wink . Also have a tinctur made of St John's wort that will cleanse, disinfect and relieve pain if anyone's interested-- though it's something you want to be made before it's needed.

Little addition from an ER vet (friend of mine) who sees a lot of dogs with serious road rash: Another old school remedy is to first clean the wound with copious lavage (either water or saline solution) - you have to clean it even if it hurts. Then instead of honey that can be very messy, cover the wounds with a thick layer of table sugar. The sugar is hyperosmolar and will draw fluid out of the wound as well as prevent bacterial growth. Cover the sugar layer with a layer of moistened (saline) soaked non-adherent dressing and then bandage lightly. Change the wrap twice daily for the first 3-5 days and then daily until a new epithelial layer forms, then switch to light bandaging. The sugar can be lightly rinsed off between bandaging and is not painful. If the wounds are deep into subcutaneous tissues it will take much longer to heal and may require surgery but the sugar works great for superficial wounds. Many, many dollars spent on topical medications but sugar can work like a charm!

[SUM650]

I have to say that with all the cinnamon, bread, sugar, and honey I've worked up quite an appetite. Don't know if this stuff works but you sure will be sweet if nothing else. :smilebig:

[JAFO]

I know what the ladies like.. :evillaugh:

[DK]

The Summer is almost here and I am sure many of our reader's will be shedding some of that gear in the following months ......

Would be nice if we had some more input in this thread as it will be needed soon......

Mine later, just keep it in mind guys......

Thanks

DK

[JAFO]

Don't want to be a jerk about it, and yes I am a new biker, but the best thing I can say is:

despite how hot it gets-- WEAR the gear. ATGATT will save your ass (to an extent). Literally.

Sure, it sucks to be getting all sweaty when it's 100 degrees out-- but sweat hurts less than a 40 grit beltsander.

Hey, when it comes to it, we're all responsible for our own safety. I'm just sayin', is all.....