If you’ve suffered a non-emergency injury, there may be steps you can take at home to start recovery and protect your health. Keep reading to learn what to do if you’ve suffered a minor injury or come see us at your minor injury clinic in Edinburg for wound care.
What to Do for Minor Burns
First of all, you’ll need to identify whether or not you’re dealing with an emergency injury. You should seek immediate, emergency care for your burn if the wound is larger than three inches or located on the hands, face, groin, feet, or a joint, or if your burn is numb, yellowish, swelling, dry and leathery, blackened, or if bone is exposed.
For minor burns associated with pain, redness, and dryness, you can take the following steps at home:
- Hold the burn under cool running water
- Apply lotion or petroleum jelly to the burn
- Apply a sterile bandage
- Take pain relievers as needed
When to See a Doctor for Burns
Even for non-emergency burns, you may still need to see a doctor to ensure proper healing. You should see a physician for wound care for any of the following:
- Chemical or electrical burns
- Burns that won’t heal
- Burns that get worse, not better
What to Do for Minor Cuts
Again, it’s important to make sure that you don’t need to go to the emergency room for care if you’ve been wounded. You should seek immediate, emergency medical care if your cut is longer than 2 inches or deeper than ¼ inch, passes over a joint, has jagged edges, severe bleeding that doesn’t stop after 10 minutes of pressure, was caused by a bite, has debris punctured into it, or is gaping enough that the edges can’t be pressed together.
For all other minor cuts, you can take steps right away to start healing and prevent complications:
- Wash your hands
- Apply pressure to the cut
- Rinse the area with clean water
- Wash with a mild soap
- Apply petroleum jelly
- Apply a sterile bandage
When to See a Doctor for Cuts
Like with burns, some cuts may not require emergency attention but still need care from a physician. You should see a doctor for care for your non-emergency cut in case of any of the following:
- Your cut won’t heal
- You’re worried about being disfigured
- Your cut hurts worse now than before
- Your cut is on your face
What to Do for Bruises
The vast majority of bruises are nothing serious, but they can sometimes be a sign of a serious, emergency medical condition. You should seek emergency attention for your bruise if it is swelling and firm, has streaks leading away, or is accompanied by fever. In general, you can treat bruises at home with little effort:
- Rest the bruised area
- Elevate the bruised area
- Apply ice to the bruise
- Apply warm compresses to the bruise after two days
- Take pain reliever as needed
When to See a Doctor for Bruises
In most cases, bruises will go away on their own given enough time. However, bruises can sometimes be associated with more significant issues. You should see a physician for non-emergency care in case of the following:
- Your bruise gets worse, not better
- Your bruise lasts longer than two weeks
- Your bruise is swollen and severely painful
- You’re not sure what’s causing your bruising
Get Edinburg Wound Care at Physician’s Injury Clinic
Non-emergency wounds may still require medical attention in order to heal fully and as quickly as possible. If you’ve suffered a non-emergency wound, you should consider whether or not seeing a physician is the best option for protecting your long-term health.
If you’re dealing with a non-emergency wound, come see an Edinburg wound specialist here at your minor injury clinic for care. Physician’s Injury Clinic can help you find the path forward to recovery.
