WHILE YOU MIGHTN’T consider cooking dinner or making the bed to be risky activities, the majority of personal injuries occur at home, not at work or while playing sports.
Being prepared for the unexpected is key, whether that means knowing what to do if you cut your hand, or informing yourself on how to treat a minor burn or scald effectively.
We spoke with Dr Michelle de Brun, Medical Director of Vhi SwiftCare Clinics, for her advice on how to treat the most common home injuries, and – most importantly – when to seek medical help.
Trips and falls are most common among under-fives and over-65s, but they’re top of the list for home injuries across other age groups too, as Dr de Brun emphasises. “From toddlers to mums and dads, none of us are immune to trips and slips, particularly in the kitchen or bathroom,” she explains.
What to do: If you’re the one who has fallen, check for any obvious injuries before standing. Lie on your side and lift yourself onto your elbows or hands, using a stable piece of furniture to pull yourself up. If someone else has fallen and appears to be able to stand, bring a chair close to them and help them to a kneeling position with both of their hands on the chair. From there you can aid them in standing up.
How to know when to seek help: Even if everything appears fine, it’s important to be aware of alarm bells. If you or whoever has fallen experiences loss of consciousness, strong or lingering pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion or overall weakness, it’s time to see a doctor.
Knives, graters and other sharp objects all make the kitchen a minefield of potential injuries and infections. The emergency factor depends on how deep the cut is, what length it is and where it is.
What to do: If the blood is simply oozing, rather than squirting or flowing heavily, clean it first with warm water. If you have cut yourself with an object you’ve been using for food products, allow the blood to ooze for a couple of minutes to flush out any potential bacteria. After cleaning, gently apply pressure to stop the bleeding, before dressing the wound with a bandage.
How to know when to seek help: If the blood is squirting or flowing heavily, you should consult a professional. Control the bleeding as best you can by applying pressure, using gauze or a towel to stop the blood flow.
Even with minor cuts, you should keep an eye out for changes immediately after the injury occurs and for the next few days. Swelling, numbness, a loss of movement if the cut is on a finger, redness spreading from the area, or pus coming from the wound are all signs that you may need medical attention. If you feel suddenly unwell, dizzy, feverish or if it’s been over ten years since you last had a tetanus injection, your injury may also need review.
Children are most likely to receive head injuries, as they have high energy levels and little sense of danger, but again they do occur across all age groups. “A bang to the head can be alarming, and it’s important to know when to seek medical help if someone you know has a nasty knock,” says Dr de Brun.
What to do: After a bad bump to the head, some mild swelling and pain are normal, but it’s important to monitor the symptoms for 24 hours. If you’re living alone and take a bump to your head, ask a relative or friend to stay with you and keep an eye on you.
How to know when to seek help: If symptoms persist or worsen, consult a GP or an acute injury clinic. However if the person who has fallen experiences a lack of consciousness, unusual difficulty staying awake, a seizure or fit, balance problems, double vision or persistent vomiting, they should be brought to their local A&E for assessment.
Minor burns can result in blistering and severe pain if they’re not treated properly, so make sure you’re schooled on the first steps.
What to do: If the burn is small and there’s no broken skin, cool the area for between 10 and 30 minutes using cool or lukewarm water. Avoid using ice water or anything oily like butter, as this can damage skin tissue. Protect the wound using a piece of clingfilm and reduce pain with ibuprofen or paracetamol.
How to know when to seek help: If the burn is large or deep, medical help may be required. Seek medical help immediately for chemical burns from corrosive substances or allergic reactions to hair or skincare products. The same goes for all electrical burns, even if the injuries do not look serious. You may also require a tetanus injection.
Catching your finger in a door or stubbing your toe on a wall is hellishly painful, but here’s how to proceed if the pain persists after more than a minute or two.
What to do: If you can still move the offending toe or finger and it doesn’t appear broken, strap it to the toe or finger next to it with a piece of cotton wool or gauze in between. Keep it raised to reduce swelling, and use an ice pack for 15-20 minutes every couple of hours. If you need to, use painkillers, and if it’s a toe injury, wear sturdy shoes when walking outside to avoid bending the toe.
How to know when to seek help: If your toe or finger looks unusually angulated and misshapen in appearance or you feel it may be broken, you’ll need a professional to examine the injury and decide if further treatment is required. Even if the injury doesn’t look severe, it’s important to seek help if you experience numbness or tingling. Likewise, if the skin around the wound starts to swell or if you experience difficulty moving, standing or walking as a result of the injury, you should seek medical help.
If it’s a minor illness or injury, why wait for hours in a crowded A&E waiting room? Vhi SwiftCare Clinics aim to deal with patients within an hour, be it an X-ray, stitches, a child with a fever or even a sore throat that won’t go away. Vhi SwiftCare Clinics have the personnel and equipment needed to help, with three handy locations in Dundrum, Swords and Mahon in Cork. Clinics are open 8am-10pm, 365 days a year, with no appointment needed.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say