# Advice on a bad scrape on my leg **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119 "2012-07-03T17:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/1 "2012-07-03T17:52:17Z")
I had it happen on Saturday when I slipped off the exercise bike and the one leg took the brunt of a revolution by the pedal’s momentum-right down the front of my tibia. It’s been kind of sore (tho I can still ride the bike well enough), and tends to stiffen after a period of time when I haven’t put any weight on it. I put some Neosporin on last night and this morning, and protect it with a bandage when at work-it had been red, but today I started to get that slimy ooky film on it. Stay on course or is there something else I should be doing? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/2 "2012-07-03T18:08:14Z")
You need to see a doctor, and you don’t really give us enough information. Did you break the skin? If so, it needed to be thoroughly cleaned and dressed. Just putting neosporin on it isn’t enough. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/3 "2012-07-03T18:50:09Z")
IANAD, etc. Sounds normal enough to me. Ideally you would have cleaned and disinfected the scrape when fresh, but I don’t think there’s much else you can do now. Curious as to what a doctor would do for a scrape 3 days after the fact, unless antibiotics are indicated. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/4 "2012-07-03T19:44:04Z")
I rinsed it a lot with water right after the fact (the new CW is not to use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/5 "2012-07-03T20:03:19Z")
‘Ooky film’ is what tends to happen to scabs when they are left under a bandage and moist for a while. Sounds okay to me. I would be worried if the area around the scrape became raised, hot and/or swollen. That is a sure sign of infection. (IANAD but I am a mom and care for such wounds fairly regularly.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/6 "2012-07-03T21:58:57Z")
Leg is slightly puffy still and the scrape itself is a bit hot, yes, but doesn’t look any worse than it was this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/7 "2012-07-03T22:02:44Z")
I had a smaller version on the top of my toe a few weeks ago which was complicated by the fact that I thought I might have broken it too so it was bandaged to the toe next to it. When it got to the oogy film point it had stopped hurting enough that I just left the bandages off during the day and it healed up fine. It probably just needs air to dry out the skin a little, new skin is fairly damp in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/8 "2012-07-03T22:36:55Z")
I’d keep an eye on it, and at this point if anything worsens even a little bit (becomes more painful, more hot, more red, or the red area starts to spread) I’d get it looked at. ---
**Author:** ![dngnb8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@dngnb8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dngnb8)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/9 "2012-07-03T23:06:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Leg is slightly puffy still and the scrape itself is a bit hot, yes, but doesn’t look any worse than it was this morning. With the minimal info You have a few injuries 1: Abrasion: This is the removal of the epidermal area leaving some dermal exposed. keep very clean, let it breathe to heal as well. 2: Contusion; This is from the impact of the pedal. You probably have damaged capillary vessels. This will create the puffyness. warm compress, then no compress about every 20 minutes will help dissipate this. Maybe 3: Bone bruise. This will be there a bit and may also have swelling. Time will help. Taking any OTC Nsaid will help the pain (be mindful of medicinal allergies) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/10 "2012-07-03T23:11:37Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > You need to see a doctor, and you don’t really give us enough information. Did you break the skin? . Seconded. I’m currently suffering from a serious and extensive leg infection that probably originated in a scratch. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/11 "2012-07-03T23:16:42Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’d keep an eye on it, and at this point if anything worsens even a little bit (becomes more painful, more hot, more red, or the red area starts to spread) I’d get it looked at. Well, indeed, before I got a spreading infection, I had warning signs that I ignored (redness, swelling of a significant area..). When liquid stuff began to pour out of the skin in various place, I saw my doctor who seriously scolded me for having waited that long. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/12 "2012-07-03T23:33:02Z")
I would leave it open to the air and let it scab over, ice it, take some ibuprofen for the inflammation and if it’s still oozy and inflamed the next day probably have my doc take a look at it. Clear “ooze” is likely serum that will dry and be scabby/crusty and that’s OK, opaque “ooze” that’s white, yellow, green, etc., is a problem. IANAD and all that. ---
**Author:** ![MrDurden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed655f/32.png) [@MrDurden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDurden)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/13 "2012-07-04T00:14:24Z")
Rest the area and continue changing the dressing using the anti-biotic ointment. One of the most important things that people forget with injuries to your leg, knee, ankle, foot, etc. is that anything but a normal walking pace will keep the injury from healing quickly. As a former paramedic and all around medical type person. It doesn’t sound infected to me. Post a pic! ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-a-bad-scrape-on-my-leg/627119/14 "2012-07-04T00:43:54Z")
Let us know when the necrotizing fasciitis takes hold