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What's New | Current Newsletter | Newsletter Archive | Newsletter Sign Up We would like to thank those participants in our first Sports Performance Combine held in conjunction with HealthSouth. We are looking forward to holding another combine in late summer. Our focus this month is on a common injury but a dermatological one-abrasions. Many people receive abrasions every day. As you will find in this newsletter, some of the treatments you may commonly use are actually detrimental to the healing of the wound. Read on for more details. Immediate Steps for Treating Abrasions In any athletic setting, the skin represents the interface between the participant and sports environment. Unfortunately, this interface is often disrupted when the athlete comes into contact with their given playing surface, resulting in an abrasion. The skin is separated into the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (deeper layer), which is broken down into the upper and lower layer (reticular dermis). Abrasions result in a loss of the epidermis with exposure of the
upper layer of the dermis. Often the injury will show pinpoint bleeding
and exudates (oozing of clear fluid). Such injuries are often named
by descriptive terms such as "raspberry", "strawberry",
"mat burn" and "road rash". Artificial turf
can have a high degree of friction, which can cause an injury more
like Immediate sideline treatment consists of very gentle cleansing
with a mild detergent soap or cleansing agent. It is not advised
to vigorously scrub the area- it has been found that mechanical
cleansing by scrubbing the wound actually increase the inflammatory
response due to increased trauma. A bulb syringe is great to use
because the flushing action of the device will help to loosen any
dirt or debris within the wound without directly scrubbing the area.
Also, it is advised NOT to use hydrogen peroxide or povidone-iodine
due to it's potential to actually harm the tissues and interfere
with healing function which can further increase the injury and
lengthen the healing process. A great substance to use as a cleansing
agent is mentholated shaving gel because of its chemical makeup
and the cooling sensation that it produces For larger abrasions, cleansing the wound, applying bacitracin, using a skin adhesive such as tincture of benzoin, applying a dressing, securing the area with athletic tape and covering the area with Coban (a flexible elastic, self-adhesive (sticks to itself, but not the skin)) is advised. Direct pressure over the area to decrease bleeding is recommended. It is not advised to use any type of liquid or agent to stop bleeding as these agents can harm tissues enough to prolong the healing process as well as being quite painful. Many new dressings have come out on the market in the past few years that provide a moist healing environment while allowing the gases and drainage that form during the chemical process taking place during wound healing to evaporate. A great combination is the use Spenco 2nd skin, which is a hydro gel (water-based) that is applied to the wound then covered with a film dressing such as Bioclusive or Tegaderm. This combination produces a dressing that is impermeable to water and bacterial but allows the evaporation of the exudates. Other dressings that are used will protect the abrasion from bacteria and water but are different from 2nd Skin in that they absorb the exudates rather than let it evaporate. These dressings are known as hydrocolloid. An example of a hydrocolloid dressing is Duoderm. Prevention of abrasions is generally aimed at protecting areas
of potential trauma. Wearing protective equipment such as sliding
pads, long-sleeved shirts, and protective socks may help prevent
skin trauma. |
