When the person is thrown to the ground at speed and scrapes across the ground, it can cause road rash. Road rash injuries are typically caused by a person being physically thrown to the ground. In these cases, recovery can take far longer or result in certain permanent limitations and scarring.
Serious road rash that causes extensive tissue damage can require skin graft surgery. More serious abrasions may require more serious treatment and have a prolonged recovery time. Properly cared for, minor abrasions may heal in a matter of weeks. Recovery from road rash depends on the severity of the abrasion. For these reasons, contact a doctor immediately if you are worried you have any risk of infection from road rash. These can include delayed healing, tissue damage, tissue death, and in worse case situations sepsis or blood poisoning. If the infection is not treated quickly, it can cause other, more serious health problems. If an infection is caught early, the wound may be properly cleaned and a course of antibiotics may help limit the infection.
While there are common treatments for road rash, it is best to contact a doctor immediately if you have suffered road rash and have any questions regarding how to care for the injury. You should contact a doctor immediately if you experience road rash and have any questions about whether formal treatment is necessary. Serious abrasions may also cause severe bleeding. More serious road rash injuries may cause deeper damage to the skin, penetrating through several layers of tissue and even exposing bone. Less serious abrasions may involve only the top level of the skin or may only cover a limited area. At minimum, skin will be scraped to show a visible abrasion. Road rash injuries can range from relatively minor to incredibly serious. Bleeding is a common symptom, but certain abrasions may not necessarily bleed. The skin has been physically scraped, and at times may both feel and look like a bad burn. An area of the body that suffers from road rash often looks red and raw. Road rash typically can be seen immediately after an accident. The operator usually will slide across the road surface, which in turn causes road rash. A common example is when a motorcycle operator is struck by a car and is thrown to the ground. Road rash most often happens in accidents when people are thrown from their vehicles and physically contact the ground at speed. Human skin can be seriously damaged by this resistance when it slides across a road surface. The friction between the road and skin physically scrapes the skin. Friction is the resistance experienced by one surface as it moves against another surface. When a person's skin comes into contact with a rough road surface, like asphalt, it encounters friction. Road rash is caused when a person's skin scrapes against the ground.