Wounds & Injuries

Tongue wounds are often caused when blows are received to the chin. The teeth bite the tongue and cause cuts and trauma. Due to the vast number of blood vessels present, most tongue wounds heal...

Initial treatment of a meniscal injury requires only basic first aid. The meniscus is cartilage, between the femur and tibia, that absorbs shock in your knees. Minor tears in the meniscus cause...

Nits are lice eggs. They are small, oval-shaped, white eggs that attach to the hair, usually within an inch of the scalp. Although lice shampoos kills adult lice, any surviving nits may hatch...

A macerated wound is an injury accompanied by soft, white, deteriorating skin around the site of the original injury. Maceration occurs when too much moisture is trapped between the wound and its...

Therabands are exercise bands for the feet that allow different levels of tension to help you strengthen your feet after an injury or illness. Therabands can help heal ankle problems, plantar...

Magnet therapy has been used for years in many cultures to treat injuries as well as chronic health conditions and illnesses. Small magnet-containing pads and magnetic jewelry appeared in the...

Alternating pain relievers helps reduce possible side effects from one drug taken too frequently. This method also works more effectively to reduce pain.

Bedsores are most often seen in patients who are handicapped, paralyzed, bedridden or disabled. This condition occurs when there is continued pressure on a certain part of the body because a...

A break in the skin is considered a wound. Wounds are often no more than cuts and scrapes, but the proper treatment of a wound depends on an accurate analysis.

A carbuncle is a mass of multiple boils on and under the surface of the skin. Carbuncles are contagious abscesses infected with bacteria that must be drained before they will begin to heal. The...

Nosebleeds are a very common occurrence for people of all ages. Typically, they occur during cold or dry weather, after irritation from frequent blowing or as the result of a nasal infection....

Oftentimes, at the first sign of blood, people panic. However, this is precisely the time you need to be calm and act quickly. If not treated immediately, a cut can turn into a severe infection....

Patients healing from a skin injury serious enough to require stitches often complain of itching and pain associated with the stitches. Although discomfort is a natural and expected part of the...

A knee injury requires special care. To prevent further injury, it is necessary to wrap the knee to protect it, especially during sports or rigorous activities. If an injured knee is not wrapped...

Pepper spray is an aerosol produced from cayenne peppers used for self-defense. The active ingredient is oleoresin capiscum. When sprayed in the eyes, this spray can cause temporary blindness,...

Although not all wounds reach the exudation stage, those that do must be taken seriously. Even though wound exudation is a natural part of the body's healing process, such wounds should always be...

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles and several tendons that cover the upper arm bones and hold them in place to allow the arm to rotate, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic...

Tendinitis occurs when a tendon, which connects the bone to muscle, becomes inflamed and injured. It is a common sports injury, but can result from any sort of overuse or repetitive movement....

Leg ulcers are open sores on the leg which can result from conditions such as varicose veins or being immobilized for prolonged periods of time (e.g., someone who is confined to a wheelchair or...

Debridement is the removal of dead tissue in or around a wound to enhance healing, reduce infection and control odor. In chemical debridement, a cross-hatching technique is employed to further...

Hamstring tendinitis results from small tears in the hamstring due to injury, overexertion or old age. Most cases of hamstring tendinitis heal within four to six weeks without the need of surgery...

Epithelialization is the natural act of healing dermal and epidermal tissue in which epithelium grows over a wound. Epithelium is a membranous tissue made up of one or more layers of cells that...

Wounds are assessed at regular intervals to ensure the wound heals correctly and to rule out infection. Wound assessment techniques depend on the location, size and depth of the wound as well as...

Skin wounds require careful treatment because they are highly susceptible to infection, which can cause further health complications. During the healing process your wound uses tiny blood vessels...

Sharp debridement is a minor surgical procedure performed to assist wound healing. It eliminates dead tissue to promote healing, manage infection and control odor.

The mouth is an important part of the body because it's a gateway for providing nourishment to the body, and, course we use it to communicate. When you sustain a mouth wound, you want to find...

Infected wounds can be trouble if not taken care of properly. Continuous inflammation can cause cellulitis, gangrene or even death. That's why it's important to know the signs of infection and...

You can purchase a knee brace at a large retailer like Target, Wal-Mart and Rite Aid. Your physician and local pharmacy may also offer a variety of knee braces. When shopping for a knee brace,...

It's bound to happen if you do quite a bit of fishing and that's the dreaded fishhook through the finger. Ouch!! If your prepared with the proper items in your first aid kit, you shouldn't have...

Cuts and scrapes can often make for unsightly wounds and scars. To help speed up healing time and prevent scarring, you may want to consider a wide variety of home remedies. Aromatherapy and...

The unna boot is a bandage that is used to treat ulcerated wounds such as on the legs. It is constructed to include zinc oxide and a gelatin mixed into a paste that is in ways similar to the...

A tear in the meniscus cartilage can become a serious knee problem. Meniscus tears frequently need surgery, but the surgery is a common procedure and the recovery period is uncomplicated.

Wounds can easily become infected without the proper care and maintenance. The chance of infection drastically increases when the skin is punctured, opening a window for bacteria to enter the...

Skin protects the inside of our bodies from infection. When an abrasion occurs, the skin is no longer present to protect that area of the body, and bacteria can enter quickly, causing infection....

Hyperbaric O2 medical treatment is the use of concentrated amounts of oxygen to treat medical conditions and illnesses. The use of oxygen to treat medical conditions began during the 1900s with...

Odor emanating from a wound is caused by tissue death and the decay of that tissue. Decay of tissue causes compounds such as cadaverine, putrecine, and sulphorous compounds to be released.

MRSA is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or drug resistant bacterial staph infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control, MRSA is highly contagious and can be spread by...

Mechanical cleansing, also known as mechanical debridement, is one of the oldest and simplest forms of wound care techniques still used to treat pressure ulcers (bedsores), burns and surgical...

An incised wound is characterized by clean edges and often is caused by cutting instruments or sharp objects, such as broken glass. If blood vessels are cut, the wound can bleed heavily. Knowing...

Tennis elbow is a repetitive-use injury caused by inflammation and small tears in the tendons of the elbow. It is experienced by athletes, hence its name, but also affects laborers, computer...

The Achilles tendon connects the heel and the calf muscles. The thickest and strongest tendon in the body, the Achilles tendon enables you to stand on your toes, walk, run or jog. This critical...

A dislocated finger joint requires medical care. It is not a serious problem, but failure to treat it properly can cause joint damage. There are, however, several things you can do to help it...

Debridement is the removal of dead tissue from a wound in order to reduce the chances of infection and promote a faster healing process. Of the four major types of debridement, two in particular...

Conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and diabetes cause lessened blood flow to the toes and other extremities. When a patient with lessened blood flow injures a toe, the wound may...

The Hoyer lift is a portable hydraulic mechanism used often for patients who cannot carry their weight because of amputation or physical limitations. It elevates the patient with a sling and...

Most wounds and gashes do not require professional medical treatment and are easily taken care of at home. All gashes should be monitored closely to prevent infection from setting in and to keep...

Rabies is classified as a zoonotic acute viral disease. Zoonotic means it is passed from animals to humans, usually through bites, with the transferring of saliva and, consequently, disease....

An open wound is an external cut that differs from a closed wound, like a bruise, where the skin is unbroken. There are five general types of open wounds. Open and closed wounds are both health...

Exudate is any proteinous fluid, such as pus, that is exuded out of the circulatory system into areas of inflammation. According to the reference book "Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts,"...

Edema is a swelling of the ankle due to an accumulation of fluids. Usually painless, the problem may affect one or both ankles and may involve other portions of the leg. Causes vary from aging...