Basic First Aid On The Trail: Cuts
How To Treat & Deal With Cuts On The Trail
Small nicks and cuts can be easy to treat and address but may be catastrophic if left unattended. These injuries can easily be sustained from general movement on trail and hazards in the environment. Any cut no matter the size needs to be treated to avoid infection. There are simple and effective steps you can take to make sure you are being smart and taking care of your body on the trails.
Preventing Cuts Before They Happen
You may not be able to prevent any and every cut that you may experience. Some cuts however are a result of exposure to brush with bare skin when bushwhacking and others are results of accidents out of your control. For the former, you want to wear pants which cover the skin, along with long sleeve shirts to prevent small injuries. Sharp brush that may slice open skin often times doesn’t fare so well with wool or synthetic fabrics.
On your hands and feet, protecting yourself from cuts is not very hard. Gloves worn on the hands can be very useful when trying to avoid injuries on the hands. If you need to crawl up rocks or trees, your hands will be protected based on the toughness of the gloves you choose. Boots can resist many thorns and pricker bushes where trail shoes or runners cannot. Injuries to the feet are very important to treat and mitigate before they become out of control.
Treating Cuts Before They Become Bad
If you do happen to notice you have a small cut somewhere, treat it as soon as you can. The first step is to clean it throughly of all dirt or debris. Using water and/or antiseptic wipes is highly effective. Remember to completely dry the cut before moving to the next step. After cleaning, use some type of antibiotic cream or ointment to sanitize the wound. When the injury has been cleaned and sanitized you will wan to cover to foster healing and prevent further infection. Small bandages to large dressings are important to have with you so you can care for small injuries correctly.
Depending on the size of the wound you want to apply pressure to hinder further bleeding. Using a bandage which is strong enough to adhere and stay on the body is important. There are many types of bandages available today that will accomplish this. From classic band aid style to gauze and wrapping, even liquid bandages can be purchased commonly at many retail outlets. The lesson is to be prepared for when this happens and you should be fine.
In The End
In the end you want to be able to treat and take care of cuts when the happen. Preventing infection through proper care is key to long term health. Keeping the cut clean to avoid infection is paramount. If you prepare before leaving and know ho two handle this, you should be just fine.
