Cuts | Lacerations | Wounds | Bleeding
Unfortunately, we’re all bound to experience a cut or scrape—it’s part of growing up and living life. But how do you know when a wound is so severe it needs an X-ray and stitches, or if a bandage at home will do?
Some wounds are more serious and need medical evaluation and treatment.
Examples Include:
- Long or deep cuts.
- Cuts that open with movement of the body area, such as over a joint, which may take longer to heal because of movement on the wound’s edges.
- Cuts that may scar and affect your appearance or injuries that affect function, such as to the lip or eyelid.
- Injuries that remove all of the layers of the skin, such as slicing off the tip of a finger.
- Wounds from an animal or human bite, which come with a risk of infection.
- Cuts that have damage to underlying tissues, such as nerves, tendons or joints. These are more common with cuts on the hands or feet. It’s normal to have slight swelling, bruising and tenderness around a cut, bite, scrape or puncture wound. Swelling or bruising that begins within 30 minutes of the injury often means there is a large amount of bleeding or that damage to deeper tissues is present.
- Lacerations over a possible broken bone. Bacteria can get into a cut over a broken bone and infect the area.
- Wounds caused by a crush injury. The force of the injury may have also damaged underlying tissues and blood vessels. Crush injuries have a high risk of infection.
- Cuts that have a known or suspected object—such as glass or wood—in the wound.
With our combined ER and urgent care under one roof, you won’t have to pay emergency care prices if all you need is urgent care attention.
