Whether you are a PE/Leadership student in school or you often hike in the summer for sport, you might want to go over certain safety rules and precautions before facing the wild. One of the most important aspects is to bring First Aid treatment and other necessities that will protect your health. Here are some tips for minor puncture wounds and injuries.
Cuts can occur anywhere on your skin, particularly exposed areas such as the legs and arms. In order to avoid such injuries when you’re hiking up a mountain, it is more convenient to wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts when the weather is tolerable. It is better to use clothing as protection than to use your skin alone as a barrier. Cuts result from falls, scrapes, and abrasians while walking up hill through a difficult path or feral bushes and trees. Always wash your hands and wear gloves first before dealing with a bleeding wound, to avoid the transmission of disease or infection. Once protected, use water and gauze to cleanse the skin around the wound, so that dirt and bacteria is not transferred to the injury. Then, cleanse the wound itself. To ensure that the wound is clean and to prevent infection, irrigate it by using disinfectant, mild soap, or a saline solution. Flush it out by using a syringe and spraying inside/around the wound, filling it up with disinfectant. If there is no syringe or a cleansing solution, you can use clean running water over your cut. People should generally let their wounds bleed, since it will help hose it down. Squeeze the flesh around it gently to encourage more bleeding. Obviously, if there are large amounts of blood being lost then use direct pressure to slow or stop the bleeding. After cleaning, put antibiotic ointment onto the puncture wound and bandage it to prevent infection. Keep the wound from bearing any weight or friction. If any sign of infection occurs, head to the doctors upon return from the hike. Call 911 immediately if the wound is a serious injury or you are losing too much blood.
Lastly, HAVE FUN HIKING and ENJOY MOTHER NATURE!
Sources:
http://firstaid.webmd.com/puncture-wound-treatment
http://firstaid.about.com/od/softtissueinjuries/ht/07_puncture.htm
