Basic First Aid On The Trail: Bruising
How To Treat & Deal With Bruising On The Trail
Something that doesn’t always come to mind when referring to first aid is bruising. Bruising occurs when blood vessels are broken beneath the skin and can happen for a multitude of reasons. Commonly bruising happens when someone falls into or onto something and it presses against the skin. Luckily bruising isn’t an extremely severe condition however it may indicate a more serious problem.
Treating Sunburn Before It Becomes Bad
Prevention of bruising may come in the form of correctly wearing a pack or distributing your pack load properly. Aside from this, that is about all you can do. Bruising which happens accidentally is difficult to prevent and usually means you need to be more careful if you take a spill. If you do need to treat a bruise there are a few steps you can take. First is to reduce the swelling of the bruised area by applying ice or cold water to it. This may also be achieved by using a rag soaked with cool water. The next step is to to elevate the bruised area so that the blood flowing to it will be less. With less blood flow there should theoretically be reduced swelling depending on the severity of the bruise. Step three is to rest and see how everything feels over time.
If the bruising persists or becomes worse over time, it may be wise to seek professional medical attention. You don’t want a simple bruise to go untreated, only to find out later that it is indicative of a more sever injury. Bruising can be an indication of a fracture or an internal injury for example. When in doubt see a doctor to confirm.
In The End
In the end the goal with bruises is to treat, note how it feels and carefully asses if it is something minor or more serious. Take proper precautions to be careful on the trail, apply a cold compress and rest to reduce your chances and determine the severity. It would not be a good idea to let bruising go that gets worse and eventually is discovered to be a fracture. That will keep you out of the outdoors longer and off the trail possibly indefinitely.
