Hi all! Took a fall while riding downhill this past Sunday and skidded out on my calf after hitting the ground. This is my first legit road burn and it’s excruciating 😅 My current care regiment is keeping it covered with non-stick gauze and Neosporin, and changing the gauze every couple hours as it’s draining quite a bit of fluid. I’m also rinsing it with a wound wash every time I change the gauze. My main question (along with verifying that’s best way to care for the wound) – is it normal to be in constant pain? It burns/stings pretty much every minute of the day and jumps up to a 10/10 pain when I stand or start walking after sitting for a while. The pain can get so bad it literally takes my breath away. I know I sound dramatic but I usually have a high pain threshold lol. It just makes sleeping and walking tough. Have you guys experienced this level of pain in the days following a crash with road burn? Any other tips I can try to mitigate pain? For reference, this photo was taken this morning (2 days post crash). TYIA!
by Jaded_Information328
10 Comments
Tegaderm
Vaseline liberally coated on the scab will help minimise scarring and also soften up the hardened scabby gross bit so it doesn’t crack. Maybe start a week post crash when it starts to heal properly.
Keep it covered – there are some cool plaster/bandaid type products out there now that allow for this type of injury. Available from pharmacies in the UK
Bag Balm.
Tegaderm, pain meds, vasoline/antibiotic.
I did similar on a super hard softball field and the pain in the shower that evening knows no comparison.
Hope you recover well… Also hydrate a LOT and don’t be afraid to overeat a bit, burns take a serious amount of energy to heal.
Anti inflammation meds would be helpful. My doctor told me not to let scabs crust over and to keep applying the topical cream and bandages
Tegaderm! Shave down any hair around it, rinse it out, dry it (cool setting on hairdryer works great), cover whole wound directly with tegaderm. No neosporin, etc. You can overlap it if needed. In a day or so when it’s filled with puss, remove and repeat. Eventually you’ll do it every 2 days, then 3. The sting will be gone within ~30 min of putting it on. It’s a miracle product for road rash.
I could feel this picture
Smoke weed, cbd and brag. 🤘
Do not use hydrogen peroxide as it will increase scarring.
The major recommendation I have is clean it really really well, even more so when it’s road rash from the street. Antibacterial hand soap does the trick, as soon as possible. A non-ionic, surfactant-based wound cleanser (SynePure) or hypochlorous acid (microcyn) are my favorite to keep clean, as someone who falls a lot. They don’t burn or have any dyes. Antiseptic/alcohol/hydrogen peroxide seem to trap in bad stuff and damage tissue.
As for how I deal with the wound: Air is my friend and promotes healing, I avoid Vaseline or bandages when possible. Though some are too “juicy” in the beginning and need some coverage with tagaderm, but I remove as soon as possible or when home and can hang without my pants on. I take acetaminophen or Alieve for the pain; avoiding ibuprofen/anti-inflammatories since it reduces the good inflammation and promoting white blood cells to the wound.