im in a world of hurt. this time around its from my arse cheek to foot on my left side. also have a hole in my leg that couldnt be closed up; not enough loose skin. honestly i think this is more painful then the broken collar bone i had in March. what a F'ing year of bike racing. im too old for this. later.

Got the Tegaderm for my shoulder and it's feeling good, but I've got a couple spots on my knuckles and damn are they painful.

Any tips for dealing with those?

Right now I've put some bandaids on to keep them covered and protected, but not sure if that will help speed the healing...

Yeah, 3m Nexcare bandages will flex better than anything else, which is what you'll need on knuckles. I'd just keep them lubed with vaseline or ointment (I like the anesthetic neosporin). From my own experience, the healing occurs beneath the wound, not on the surface. Anything you do to the surface should be to prevent infection and maximize comfort. If it can heal under tegaderm or toughpads, it can heal under a bandaid.

If they're really bad, you can get some of that tubular bandage stuff and cut a couple non-stick pads, coat with neosporin, and let the tubulars hold them on. You'll look like a burn victim though.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CE4Q8wIwAA

Good luck -- glad you're able to post about it!

Thanks WR...

I've tried Bag Balm on the spots under the band-aids and that's really helped...

Now not to hit the bloody knuckles on anything...

Crashed yesterday. Just put on the tegaderm. Why does it burn?!!!!!!!!!!

Nice 26mph lowside yesterday. My ass is all buggered up with road rash along with my left knee and ankle bone. Not as bad as in times past but still sucks.
I jumped in the tub and scrubbed the **** out of it with a stiff brush then right on with the 3m. Shoulder Xray this morning was positive, everything in place but a small clavicle fracture and sprain between that and the shoulder. I have 15 days before I need to use the shoulder in anger but am optimistic.

Sucks. Heal up fast.

I've gone down twice this year, both minor crashes with a little road rash. An issue I've had is that the road rash is always (at least partially) on a knee or elbow and bandages, etc. never like to stay on. Here's what I did:
Buy some kinesio tape (my buddy is a PT and he gave me a roll). Fold a piece of gauze to fit over the rash. Put some antibiotic over the area, place the gauze over it. Cut the kinesio tape so that it fits over the gauze and extends a little more on the edges, at least an inch. Peel the back off of the tape but don't stretch it. Place the tape over the gauze, using as many pieces as necessary. It ends up being like a giant flexi-band aid that lasts longer and can be any size you like.

You can also do this over tegaderm. It makes the injured area more presentable in public and doesn't irritate the skin as much as regular tape.

Happy healing!

where do you get fishnet gauzes like the one seen on Gilbert?

http://www.grassyknolltv.com/2010/vu...5-RTR2IGJD.jpg

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Also, i think i banged my knee pretty hard (almost direct hit at 20mph). Will be seeing the orthopedic people tomorrow first thing at 8:30am. Somehow i have the bad feeling that i won't be riding for 3-4 weeks...

I'm assuming you're talking about the netting. I've picked some up from the drug store, comes in a box. I forget what it's called but they have arm and leg sizes.

thanks for the response. yep, was indeed referring to the netting.

right now using the s-band rolls that wraps around the gauze, except they really restrict blood flow and my ankles are quite swollen...

tubular gauze

bingo! thanks

It's pretty hilarious (or perhaps not), when your calf is almost as thick as your quads due to the swelling

Heal up fast! My kids LOVE tubular gauze. Looks tough.

Here's a link to a free article on caring for road rash by Dr. Arnie Baker, MD. I have no connection with him, just found the article useful for my first case of road rash: http://arniebakercycling.com/article..._road_rash.htm

"Prevention: Always wear a base layer"

lol, remember that guy who used to say that on these forums?

Question: I crashed about a month and a half ago, everything healed up quite nicely in about 3-4 weeks. All of the wounds/scratches/bruises and perfectly normal, just as if they were never damaged, but they won't heal back to my normal skin colour anymore. They're all pink, red or yellowish brown colour and easily noticeable every time I look at them. What can I do to fix this? I was thinking something like vitamin E? Thanks!

Give yourself some time, it is just new skin that hasn't been tanned.

Does that usually take a long time? Because I've been on some rides last up to 5 hours up in the blistering heat almost getting burned a few times and it hasn't changed a but.

Ps. There's some on my butt.. summer holidays start in 5 days :innocent:

You are scarred for life. Deal with it.

I don't have a problem with it, just curious.

I've got some on my knuckles (not from riding)...
Chicks dig scars...

Remember guys he's young....

I have a scar just below my left eye from a golf club when I was 5

chicks dig my rad elbow surgery scar....

I've got several square inches of skin on and just below my right elbow that are permanently devoid of freckles (I have very freckled arms, so it is quite noticeable) thanks to repeated crashes and accumulated scar tissue. Life is going to mark you up a bit. Accept it. Embrace it.